


DESTROYER

by KimTanAnukite



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Kihyun - Freeform, M/M, Minor Character Death, Photographer Yoo Kihyun, Romance, Sad Lee Minhyuk (Monsta X), kind of slow burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:01:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23894236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KimTanAnukite/pseuds/KimTanAnukite
Summary: "I just don't understand why he comes looking for you now. After all this time.""He didn't exactly said why, but he is my brother and-""Well, odd one sided brotherhood you have there.""All I know is he is not at fault, and my parents maybe had a reason.. but I don't really want to know. What I have here is enough, and it's good," they stared at each other's eyes for a minute before he smiled, making Kihyun laugh."Fine. I'll try to be tolerant with your 'brother', now get out of my kitchen before you somehow set this salad on fire."Or, Kihyun and Minhyuk meet through Minhyuk's brother (kind of) and forced to stick together they learn to live with each other.
Relationships: Lee Minhyuk/Yoo Kihyun
Comments: 37
Kudos: 74





	1. begin and end

"What is his name again?"

"Ki.." Taesun called him in a soft tone instead of replying, setting the plates at the table.

"I just don't understand why he comes looking for you now. After all this time."

"He didn't exactly said why, but he is my brother and-"

"Well, odd one sided brotherhood you have there." 

Taesun walked to the island where the shorter was furiously chopping vegetables at. "All I know is he is not at fault, and my parents maybe had a reason.. but I don't really want to know. What I have here is enough, and it's good," they stared at each other's eyes for a minute before he smiled, making Kihyun laugh.

"Fine. I'll try to be tolerant with your 'brother', now get out of my kitchen before you somehow set this salad on fire."

The younger laughed and walked out of the room to sit at the table.

Kihyun woke up as he felt his body being slightly moved. "What?" He didn't bother opening his eyes, he knew well who it was.

"I'm leaving, Ki, text me when you wake up."

"Okay, be careful."

"Yes, hyung. See you when the sun comes up."

"See you when the sun comes up, Sunny."

Kihyun went back to sleep after Taesun left to the airport to pick up his brother. The airport was closer to the city than their house, which was on the country side, he would be back home between 10 am and noon.

So when the sun was on its highest, he didn't worry.

But when the sun was close to hide, and his phone kept sending him to the voicemail, everything changed.

"Minhyuk hyung?"

He turned to find the younger man walking towards him, "Taesun.. wow, you are tall."

They shared a smile and hugged for a second, Minhyuk breaking the hug to study Taesun's face, "what?"

"I wish I could have been with you—for you, little brother."

"It's fine now, hyung," he said sincerely, taking one of the suitcases so both could walk towards the car.

They talked about the flight as Taesun drove into the city, stopping at Costco because he and Kihyun needed supplies — especially now that his brother was there. He pulled out his phone, it was past 8 am so he texted Kihyun a sticker of himself motioning thumbs up.

"Who has you smiling that way?" Minhyuk asked with curiosity, pushing the shopping car through the aisles. The younger was tapping furiously so he waited to get his attention back. 

"What way?" He said defensively, tucking the phone back in his pocket after getting another sticker of Kihyun rolling his eyes as a response. "I'm just letting Kihyun know that we stopped by the market."

"I still think I should stay at a hotel, I mean.. he doesn't know me... I think we barely know each other."

"Don't be sad about it, it's not your fault, nor mine. Let's just enjoy that we can meet now. Also, I'm sure you will get along, he is the best once you get to know him better."

Minhyuk smiled at him. "He seems special, to you."

"He moved to the house next to grandma's just before she died, and has been a support for me ever since; even when we were just strangers that happened to live next door."

"I'm glad he was there for you," when I wasn't.

Minhyuk knew nothing had been his fault, not really, but being the older made him feel certain responsibility over their parents' actions and decisions.

Taesun nodded. "Come on, I want to be there before his breakfast hours are done, you are gonna love his food."

It took them around an hour buying all the groceries that were missing at the house, plus some blankets and a yo bed for him until they decided what to do with their living arrangement.

"I can move out as soon as I find a place." They had already stuffed everything on the backseat and the trunk of the car.

Taesun started the engine, ready to drive for another hour to their town, maybe more if the traffic was too heavy thanks to all the people coming to work at the city. "You don't have to hurry, we can live perfectly fine in our house, it's enough for a small family."

"I feel as intruding, so sudden."

"Circumstances are always out of our control, but I'm happy you called. And I'm happy you are here."

Minhyuk sighed, rolling down the window to feel the fresh morning air against his skin, everything felt as a first time.

They talked a bit about their lives, the sun starting to warm the summer day a bit to much. The traffic was lighter as they approached the second half of the way, only a pick up behind them was to be seen in their road.

But suddenly it got to close to their car, "just go around, I'm not speeding up because of you," Taesun complained when he noticed the red pick up almost at their tail.

"Do you know them?"

"I don't think so, I don't know why they are bothering us.. not this early in the morning."

Minhyuk frowned confused, his face turning into horror when the other driver got too close and touched their car, making it move a bit in zigzag.

"What are they doing?!"

"Stop!"

"Taesun!" he screamed after another bump made their car jump into the other rail.

The sound of metal deafened their ears, everything happened so fast it didn't play into their brains until the car had stopped sliding through the road.

"What.. what.. Tae, what happened?" Minhyuk opened his eyes and was met with a horrible silence, realizing then that they were upside down, his body held on place by the seat belt.

He swallowed with difficulty, his chest was in so much pain, but it wasn't as strong as the one he felt when he turned his head to look besides him. Taesun's side of the car was crushed, the seat was pressed against the roof although the seat belt had somehow detached from it. Minhyuk didn't breath until he saw his brother laying on his side, but mostly under the metals.

"Min?" he weakly said, he tried to move but couldn't. "Min, I can't get out." 

"Stay there brother, someone will help us."

"No, I can't move.. I- I can't feel- what is happening?! Min!"

His cries filled the frightening silence, Minhyuk gathered strength to unbuckle his seat belt. He fell and ignoring the pain on his arm he quickly crawled to Taesun's side, taking his hand and kissing his face.

"I'm here, brother, I am here, can you feel me?"

"Yes," his voice was suddenly calm. "Kihyun?" his hands grasped Minhyuk's forearm, his eyes seeking his brother's.

"We'll call him when they get you in the ambulance. Where does it hurt?"

"It doesn't."

"Tae!"

"M'sorry"

Kihyun had answered the call from the police, blood quickly draining from his brain and heart, almost fainting in the front yard where he had been waiting for his friend to come home.

"We need you to come to confirm this is him, and other paper work. As his guardian you have to arrange the funerary-" he stopped listening there, the tears escaping his eyes didn't let him do anything but feel pain.

He had called Hyungwon just ten minutes before to try and find why Sunny hadn't arrived yet, so the tall man came just in time to catch the phone Kihyun dropped and help his friend.

All Kihyun could remember the next early morning before Hyungwon forced him to sleep was receiving the call and watching Sunny's face in a black stretcher. At the moment Hyungwon had done almost everything needed by the authorities for Kihyun could not react properly, but after waking up from that nap he decided Taesun wouldn't have wanted him to be like that — they had talked about that once, on a night when both couldn't sleep.

They had spent hours in the couch talking about their possible futures and, although Kihyun didn't want to talk about the topic, what to do in case something were to happen to any of them.

So he did, he arranged something quickly and private, donated the healthy organs as Sunny had requested, and indicated the hospital to have the body cremated. "Taesun said that this would make it real, and easier to move on from," he explained to Hyungwon as they were eating at the hotel's restaurant.

Hyungwon nodded. "The boys are setting everything for the funeral, I'll let them know we will be there tomorrow around noon. We both need to rest."

"Thank you for being with me," he said, nodding and stabbing his food. "Hh man- I... I forgot."

"What?"

"His brother.. Minhyuk."

"Oh... right, the paramedics said he was taken to the hospital unconscious. I'm sorry, I didn't know it was his brother." Kihyun nodded and kept stabbing his food. "Kihyun?"

"Yes?"

"What are we going to do about it?"

"What do you mean?"

"What- Kihyun, listen, I don't know what is going through your mind, or anything at all about his brother, man I didn't even know he had one, but we have to do something, why are we taking decisions without him?"

"Because I was his legal-"

"So what? It is his brother, dude." He sighed. "At least you should go see him."

"Why me?"

"Because you know of his existence?"

The older left his food in peace and stood up. "Fine. Give me the keys, and call me if the funerary tells you anything."

"Do you want me to stay over? Maybe for a week..?"

"It's okay Kkukkung. I'll be fine; I'll call you later."

He hang up when the nurse came back to guide him to a big room with five beds, three of them occupied, only two with family beside the patients.

"He has a couple of broken ribs, a broken arm and a concussion. Although his body is pretty bruised he has no internal organ damage, and he should be able to leave once he wakes up and we check that there is no damage to his optical nerves."

"How come he survived? I saw the car."

"The belt kept him in place and the airbag only cut his lip a bit. We expect a full recovery, can we call you when he gets discharged?"

Kihyun finally approached the bed, the boy before him was similar to Sunny even with the bruised face and swollen lip, and it made him angry. Full recovery. "Please," he nodded and gave her the his phone number.

"You are back?" Hyungwon turned the TV off and walked towards his friend, "how is he."

"Alive."

Kihyun sat on his bed and took his shoes off, throwing them to the door and going for the sweat pants and shirt Hyungwon bought for him.

"Ki?"

"He is alive. He is fine, and he will live. Only a few broken bones and a pretty purple face, but he is alive." Hyungwon only stared at him pressing his lips closed. "I know, I know. I don't blame him, it- it just hurts. How come Sunny is dead and he is there, looking so familiar and yet a stranger?"

The taller sat besides him wrapping his long arms around the now whipping boy.

"There is nothing I can say to make it better because this is shitty, but all we can do now is try to keep his memory alive, and Taesun would have wanted us to meet his brother, otherwise he would have taken him to a hotel or something instead. There was a mattress on the car that now I realize was for Min.. Minhyuk? We can't leave him just like that, he also lost someone and he is gonna have to hear it from a nurse."

Kihyun pouted and unwrapped himself from the hug. "When did you become so wise? You are like an old man."

They laughed and got ready to sleep, it had been a long day.

"We are on our way back, Joo, tell them we will be there like in, twenty minutes? Okay, thank you Honey."

"Shouldn't we wait for his brother to be here before scattering the ashes?"

Kihyun sighed, bracing the box between his arms. "The hospital hasn't called, who knows when he will wake up, or be able to ride more than thirty minutes. Or if he wants to drive a car."

Hyungwon nodded, "I am not stopping you because this were Taesun's indications, but I still think you should bring him to stay over until he heals enough to fly back to wherever he came from."

"Can't he stay over at your place? Or a hotel?"

"Kihyun..."

"You know I am your hyung, right?" he rolled his eyes before closing them not to open them until they were back at the town. "Okay, he will stay over at our place."

There was sound around him, muttering and machines that made a beep kind of sound. He slightly opened his eyes trying to get used to the light, a nurse looking at him from above.

"Minhyuk-ssi, you are at the hospital, you were in an accident so I need you to move slowly and indicate me if anything hurts."

He stared at her for a moment before moving his arms, his right one in a cast. In that moment everything came back to his memory, the crash, the pain, and his brother dying.

"I couldn't do anything to save him," he told the nurse, his chest hurting when he sobbed.

"It's okay, Minhyuk-ssi. Breath with ease, two of your ribs are broken, you must be careful," she took something from her robes and injected it into his IV. "I'll call the young man to let him know you are awake. A doctor will come to check your eyes and wounds."

She left and he felt even more lonely than he had before coming to his brother. Tears weren't falling from his eyes, he had seen his brother dying, but he felt some sort of relief for being able to hold him during that moment.

The doctor had checked him over and over before telling the personnel he could be discharged. He was given a prescription, medicament and indications about his ribs and the cast on his forearm. 

A nurse took him to the main floor in a wheelchair and just then he realized he had no one in that city, the words of the nurse coming back right when he saw a boy coming right towards him to take the bag the nurse was holding and opening for him the back door of a car.

"Thank you." Both said to the nurse and remained in silence for a second, until the boy turned the engine on. "Are you Kihyun?"

The boy with brown ash hair color nodded before putting on sunglasses and starting the car.


	2. open and close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It hurts... I finally got to meet him and they took him away.."
> 
> "Yes, ... you were there."

The ride was quiet and Minhyuk almost drifted to sleep, but thousands of questions occupied his hurting head. He wanted to know what had happened to his brother, if there was going to be a funeral, how long he had been unconscious at the hospital, why did the hospital called Kihyun to pick him up.

"Kihyun-ssi? Are we close?" He didn't even know where they were going, but the nausea from the concussion was too strong to ignore.

"We are just entering the town, will be there in a couple of minutes."

"I think I'm going to throw up."

Kihyun glanced back to see the other's pale face, so he parked besides the road, hearing him open the door to throw up outside of the car.

"Are you okay?" He asked once Minhyuk stopped and only his heavy breathing could be heard.

"Yes..." The older closed the door and covered his face with his hands, "m'sorry."

Not asking further, Kihyun started the car to finally get home. He parked on the big entry and exited the car, walking to the trunk to take some things out of it and get them into the house.

Minhyuk stayed on the car, confused and overwhelmed about the whole situation. He knew how special Taesun and Kihyun were for each other, but that's all he knew about the boy with brown hair.

"Let me help you," Kihyun had opened his door and grabbed the bag again, standing on aside for Minhyuk to get out of the car.

The older followed him inside the house, slowly walking behind and looking around. The living room was spacious and cozy, there was a fireplace on a wall and the couches had too many cushions.

"Sunny's room is at the end of the hall, mine is upstairs, which is good since I don't think you can climb that many stairs just yet. Well, the kitchen is right here, your bathroom would be that one," he pointed to one of the three doors in the hall besides the living room, "if you need anything I'll be in my room, so, you can yell, I guess."

Minhyuk stood awkwardly, not really knowing how to react or what to ask first, his body started to hurt and he just wanted to sleep and maybe wake up in the previous week, before all of this happened.

Kihyun nodded once and made his way upstairs with fast steps, as if he couldn't stand being there anymore. The place felt cold despite the summer heat, and the walls began to be tainted by the orange sunset, sending more of that unsettling feeling to Minhyuk's stomach.

He breathed in once, twice, until he decided to try and maybe rest a bit. He grabbed the bag from the coffee table where Kihyun had placed it and walked through the small hall to enter the bedroom. The door was open and a small bag was on the bed, he guessed it was one of the things Kihyun had taken from the trunk.

It had a toothbrush and paste, a soap, shampoo and a shaving rake and cream inside. He put the bag back down on the bed and looked around, the beige and black room so different from his brother's extroverted personality, it was neat and simple. He walked to the drawers and closet, touching with his finger tips his brother's clothing.

His right arm started to feel sore so he grabbed the pills and prescription from the hospital bag and walked to the bathroom, throwing the pills in his mouth and barely drinking whatever water he could gather with his left hand from the faucet.

The bathroom wasn't small but it wasn't that big either, it had a sink full of products, and a shower with see through curtains.

It took him longer than normal to brush his teeth since he was right handed, giving him time to notice that although Taesun's skin and hair products where in the sink's counter, his tooth brush wasn't there. It made things seem as if he had just went for on a trip.

"I feel like I'm intruding in your life, little brother. I'll just heal and leave, just as we had planned."

The black haired man walked back into the bedroom and got in the bed with the clothing the hospital gave him still on, he didn't feel strong enough to discover how to change with two broken ribs and a broken arm.

Some noises outside woke him up, plus his dry mouth made it impossible to go back to sleep. Not even five seconds awake and his brain was flooded with reality, the terrible situation he was now living.

The kitchen light was on and he found Kihyun sitting on a stool by the island, eating what seemed to be ice cream.

"Hi." He greeted quietly and the brown haired raised his head startled. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay."

The younger kept eating from the ice cream tub, eyes fixed on Minhyuk's every movement. He took a plastic glass and filled it with water, almost dropping it on the sink when he drank it.

"Sorry, I'm not so good with my left hand."

Kihyun nodded, placing the spoon down,."I think your concussion doesn't help either, did I wake you up?"

Minhyuk shook his head, sitting on the stool in front of the other. "I couldn't sleep. Even breathing hurts and my brain won't let me rest."

Kihyun stared at him for a second before putting everything away and walking out of the kitchen. He stopped by the stairs and turned around, although Minhyuk couldn't see him.

"I don't know you, and I don't know why you were here; all I know is Sunny is not here anymore, but he would have wanted me to help you. I can't pretend I want to know your story or anything about you, so I'll be sincere now." Minhyuk stood up from the stool to face him. "Taesun was special for me, and I want to think what happened wasn't your fault-"

"But you can't help thinking that way," he interrupted, "I know.. so do I. Don't worry, I'll leave as soon as I get another place to-"

He couldn't finish his sentence for the nausea came back stronger than before, and he wasn't sure if they were caused by the concussion or his emotions.

Kihyun only watched him run towards the bathroom and closing the door, then decided to just go back to his room upstairs.

Both cried themselves to sleep with frustration and heavy pain on their chests.

There were voices coming from the living room; Minhyuk stood up with curiosity and pressed his ear against the wall. The sounds were too muffled to make any word out of it, but he knew it was Kihyun's voice and another male talking.

He heard steps coming and before he could seat back in the bed the door opened. "Come, there is someone who wants to meet you."

Kihyun left and he frowned before following the shorter outside. A pale muscular male was sitting on a couch and stood up right when he saw Minhyuk. "Hello, I am Wonho.. and that is Hyungwon."

Just as he said it a tall boy entered the house and came to stand besides Wonho. "You must be Taesun's brother."

Minhyuk nodded and tried to bow, but his ribs didn't agree with that movement. "Minhyuk," he winced his name and looked towards Kihyun who was sitting on the armchair scrolling through his phone.

"We are sorry about your brother, he was a great friend of us, um.. sorry but we didn't know about you." Wonho apologized, everyone sitting down to continue the conversation.

"I feel like I should be the one saying sorry for your lost. You all knew him better than I did and definitely spent more time with him than I ever did."

Hyungwon stood up and went to te kitchen, handing a bottle of water to Minhyuk and sitting besides him.

"Family is family, and I know Taesun would have presented us as such. We, um, we didn't know when you would wake up, so we already scattered his ashes..."

Minhyuk nodded, "I understand, it's okay, you... you should now he didn't suffer," he said while looking at Kihyun, who raised his gaze at the words. "He asked for you, and it was fast."

Kihyun frowned and looked away, he didn't want to be seen crying.

"But how are you?" Wonho asked, cleaning his own tears, "you were also in the accident, I can't imagine how traumatic it all is."

"Yes, I know it was an accident, but... you were there," Hyungwon added, glancing at Kihyun who had just composed himself.

"It hurts... I finally got to meet him and they took him away.. my body hurts too much and I feel like I'll pass out at any second."

"Have you eaten anything?" Hyungwon said and almost killed Kihyun with his eyes when the older lightly shook his head.

"We brought you some food, anyway, it is in on the counter, I hope you like hotpot." Wonho stood up and handed him his phone. "Please write your number here, you can call us if you need anything."

Minhyuk smiled and typed his number, Wonho then took it back and called him, his cellphone ringing on the bedroom.

"We have to leave but please keep us updated if anything happens. Kihyun, I'll call you when we finish," Hyungwon said before taking Wonho's hand to walk towards the door, "hold in there, boys, it will get easier at some point."

The house was still after they left in the car Kihyun had brought him in from the hospital, both staring at their own hands.

"You should eat, we don't want you passing out with your bruised body."

Minhyuk nodded and both walked into the kitchen, the food was ready to eat and Kihyun only had to hand him the cutlery. They ate in silence, Kihyun glancing every now and then at the black haired man who was struggling to eat with only his left hand.

"Hold your spoon," Kihyun said exhausted and placed food on it with his chopsticks.

"Thank you," Minhyuk glanced down. They ate like that, faster now that Kihyun was helping him.

The older tried to help cleaning the dishes but he wasn't really useful in his state. "It's okay, you should go rest."

With a pout Minhyuk left to his bedroom, resting his back on the pillows lifted against the wall since he had just eaten.

  
The metals crushing against each other, the pavement and sky mixing in a blur, the smell of smoke and blood overwhelming his senses. And before him, Taesun.

"What?!" he opened his eyes to the late afternoon light, he wasn't on the road but in Taesun's room. Kihyun was by the door with an unsettling expression on his face, the door was closed and there were tears on his eyes.

"You were screaming," he had closed the door to wake him up, "you were having a nightmare".

Minhyuk shook his head, not able to stop his own crying, "but it was real." Kihyun swallowed and turned to open the door, Minhyuk called for him before he could leave. "I am sorry, I don't know what to say, I really wish it had been me, if only he hadn't go to pick me up," Kihyun turned back with angry tears running down his cheeks, "if only I hadn't called him to help me even when I never helped him... if only that red truck hadn't pushed us, if only I hadn't been blind-"

"What?" Kihyun spoke not interested in hearing the rest of his ranting, "what red truck?"

Minhyuk frowned, surprised himself he had just remembered that now, "there was a red pick up tail chasing us. We lost control when it pushed us, sending us to the other side of the road against a trailer that was coming-"

"Did you mention any of this to the police?"

"Well.. no, I was unconscious you see, and I remembered just now, maybe the concussion caused me some amnesia."

Both were breathing heavily, their chests raising faster than normal, "where were they after the crash? It was only Taesun's car and the trailer when we got there."

"I- I don't know. I don't know how long passed from the crash to the moment I woke up. We were upside down and, I saw Tae and unbuckled to help him, but I don't remember anything else after he died."

Kihyun only stared at his eyes for a moment before leaving to the living room. He could hear him talking to the police about it, but his chest was hurting too much to focus on more than two words.

He stood up, grabbing the pills from the night stand and going to the bathroom to grab some water to pass them easier. He stared at his face in the mirror after taking the medicine; his fair skin had small spots in yellow and light purple, and his lip wasn't swollen anymore but it had a big cut on it.

He closed his eyes and touched his face, wincing when his hand touched his lip. He closed the door and took off his clothes, the light that entered the room was dim but he didn't need more to find the shower and turn the faucet on.

It wasn't even warm but all he needed was to feel something, something to be sure he was still alive, although it would mean everything else was real too. Taesun had died, and he hadn't.

The door opened slightly, enough for Kihyun to be heard over the water, "the police will be here in around an hour, you have to tell them everything, okay?"

Minhyuk was about to answer when his bare feet slipped, causing him to fall knees first into the floor. Kihyun was about to enter but he stopped him, "I'm fine," he said in a gasp.

"Are you crazy?" Kihyun ignored him, getting into the bathroom and opening the curtain to close the water, "gosh, Minhyuk, you didn't even covered the cast."

He grabbed a big towel and covered the older, who was biting his lip to cover the pain he felt on his legs, but getting it to bleed under the pressure.

Kihyun sighed, wrapping the cast in another towel and helping him on his feet so he could seat over the toilet.

"I got dizzy," Minhyuk explained, ignoring his lip was bleeding.

"Of course, you have a concussion," Kihyun grabbed a piece of paper to clean the blood.

Minhyuk stared at the floor ashamed, holding the towel tight around his cold body. Kihyun looked at his blushed face, he was handsome indeed, not as Taesun, but rather pretty and masculine at the same time. His forehead wasn't covered by his black hair and even with the bruises he could see the taller had clear and soft looking skin.

He shook his head when the older met his eyes, stepping back and throwing the paper into the trash can.

"I'll bring a plastic to cover it, wait here."

He walked into the kitchen to grab the plastic film, a plastic bag and some elastic bands, breathing a couple of times before entering the bathroom again.

"Thank you," Minhyuk said in a small voice, stretching his arm so Kihyun could cover it.

"Tomorrow I'll go to the drugstore and get something you can put on easily. This should be enough for you to finish your shower and be ready when the police arrives." Kihyun tried to avoid the older's eyes as he wrapped the cast on plastic as best as he could. "You can shower now. And there is hot water, I don't want you to go hypothermic before you can tell them about the red truck."

He stepped out of the bathroom as fast as he could, closing the door behind himself and resting his head on the wall besides it. _Control yourself Ki, he is Sunny's brother, it's just their connection that makes you feel fond of him. Don't be weak._

When the police arrived the sun had already set, Kihyun had prepared coffee for everyone and was now standing against the counter, hearing Minhyuk describe the accident to the cops. He felt an pressure on his chest and weight added to his shoulders with the desire to know who had caused the crash.

"We'll investigate immediately, don't worry, you will be informed about every advances on your case," a cop said standing up and bowing to Minhyuk, then turning to Kihyun to do the same, thanking him for the coffee.

"Thank you for coming here," he walked them to the door and then came back to the living room to pick up the cups, also taking Minhyuk's although he hadn't drink nearly any of the content, "you shouldn't drink coffee," he answered before the older could even complain.

"You can be rude sometimes," the black haired commented with a pout.

Kihyun didn't bother saying anything back, but before he could climb up the stairs to get in his room he saw the other lightly touching his knees over the sweatpants before standing up and going to the bedroom.

Kihyun remembered two things: Minhyuk had fallen down on the shower, and those clothes were Taesun's.

He grabbed some ointment from the medicine cabinet and went to the room with him, "put this on, it will help the bruises to heal and hurt less."

Minhyuk took the ointment with a soft _thank you_ and tried to open it by placing it between his knees for it to stay still while using his left hand. He somehow managed to open it but then almost dropped it while placing it aside to roll up the sweatpants.

Kihyun sighed, taking it from the bed, "put on some shorts, I'll bring bandages so you don't stain the sheets." The older quickly changed before the other was back with the bandages and the ointment, unexpectedly kneeling in front of him, "don't move."

Minhyuk let the shorter treat his knees while he awkwardly looked around, trying to avoid eye contact with the beautiful man.

"Why are you using his clothes?" Kihyun suddenly asked since he had thought the bag the nurse gave him contained his own clothing.

"My suitcase opened on the crash and got fuel on all of my stuff. I only have the one the hospital gave me and the one I was wearing at the moment. Uh- by the way, where can I throw it away? They washed it but the blood stains didn't come out.."

Kihyun closed the container and placed it on the nightstand, proceeding with the bandaging. "Just give them to me," his voice was calmer than it had ever been. "It is his blood, isn't it? You have no open wounds, it is a miracle you escaped from it with the minor injuries you have."

Minhyuk couldn't tell if he was trying to be rude or he really meant it. His face seemed relaxed and his eyes focused on the bandaging, lips semi open and hands careful over his knees.

"I guess."

"You guess.." he whispered, finishing and standing up. They looked at each other and it felt like it was the first time they saw each other, Kihyun reached forward to touch his broken lip, soft eyes contrasting most of his talking.

_You just like to take care of people, that's why you are softening to him. Don't. Then he will stay, and no one can take Taesun's place._

He turned towards the door and left without saying anything else.


	3. tryna make me right

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Isn't he your boyfriend?"
> 
> "You're weird."

Minhyuk was watching outside the window when he heard Kihyun coming home after being out the whole day. He was bored and had curiosity, getting out of the room and finding the other already stepping up the stairs.

He had been living with Kihyun for over a week now and had done nothing more than eating and sleeping after the day the police came by.

Minhyuk sat at the living room, grabbing his phone and looking through his contacts, finding Wonho's number.

Just as he was about to send a text with something similar to _do you know how long it takes to heal from broken bones and a concussion, Kihyun came down the stairs._

"Oh- you are here," he turned the kitchen's light on and began preparing dinner.

Minhyuk followed him, sitting on a stool and observing his every movement. "Do you hate me?"

The brown haired turned with a frown and sneer. "What makes you think so?"

The older shrugged and started playing with a napkin when Kihyun continued his doings. "I suddenly appeared back on Taesun's life and then he lost it, I came here instead of him, and I already proved to be useless in this state."

"I didn't even know you existed."

Minhyuk nodded, but decided that it was fair enough, he had the right to feel that way, after all it was him who lost a brother, a room mate, a best friend.

"I hope you know I'm nursing you so you can get better and go back to whatever city you came from," Kihyun continued, handing some calcium vitamins to the taller and checking the flame of the stove wasn't too high.

They were sitting on the couch outside on the covered porch, it was around nine and only a few people could be seen walking by.

"You can come here during the day too, the sunlight will help your bones heal faster." Kihyun took a sip from his coffee before looking at the taller who had his eyes closed. "Are you already asleep?"

Minhyuk shook his head slowly, fearing any movement would cause him nausea as it had been occurring on the previous days. "I like to close my eyes, your other senses amplify that way."

Kihyun raised a brow and kept drinking from his cup and scrolling on his social media.

"Did your cellphone break during the crash?" Minhyuk answered a weak no. "Then why you never use it? Do you have no one to chat with? Is there no one insisting you to come back? How long where you supposed to be in here?"

Minhyuk opened his eyes and after taking a deep breath he locked eyes with the curious boy. "I don't have social media apps. I have no one to chat with so there is no point. I was planning to start my life in the town, but don't misunderstand, my brother is the one that insisted on me staying over until I could find a job and a place to stay in. I have money, never the less; I'll pay you for my expenses during the time I'm in here."

Kihyun broke the eye contact first, clearing his throat before speaking. "There's no need to. I'll help you find a place once your cast is removed."

"Thank you."

They stayed in silence until Kihyun's cup was empty, the older curious about many things but still unsure how much he could ask about personal stuff.

"Um- what, what is your job anyway? I noticed you don't seem to have a schedule?"

The brown haired nodded, "I am a photographer, a lot of people from the city like to have their weddings here so in those occasions I work the whole day, from the moment the bride wakes up to the moment they leave for the honeymoon. Some people still like to have their pictures taken by professionals although their cellphones could cover the getting ready part."

"That's sounds great, I love pictures, but more like looking at them. I'm not really good at aesthetic stuff.. or anything that includes vision, colors, dimensions..."

Kihyun frowned at that but chuckled. "What are you good at?"

"Talking?"

"You haven't talked that much. I wouldn't be able to tell."

Minhyuk shrugged, playing with the hem of his shirt. "Don't have much to talk about these days."

"Can I go with you?"

Kihyun raised a brow, grabbing his camera and other equipment. "You have to rest."

"I have rested enough. I haven't throw up in days, and my ribs don't hurt when I laugh anymore."

"Why do you want to go? It's just a session for some girls-"

"Please, I'm suffocating in here. I don't know anyone but you and you don't talk to me anyways. I'll be quiet, I just want to breathe fresh air and walk."

Kihyun shook his head but eventually handed him a tote bag with water and snacks.

"They are coming to pick us up since the car insurance won't apply until the cops have solved the red truck thing." He had learned from Wonho that the car in which Kihyun picked him up from the hospital was Hyungwon's. 

"Okay," he murmured, both waiting patiently on the entrance. A grey van parked by the sidewalk and Kihyun told him it was the one.

"Good morning, Seoyeon-ssi. This is Minhyuk, I hope you don't mind he is with us during the session," he greeted the girl behind the steering wheel, pointing with his head the black haired behind him.

"Oh, its okay, we don't mind. You can get on the back, Minhyuk-ssi."

Kihyun opened the door for Minhyuk and then hop in the front passenger seat himself. The older bowed and went to enter the van, thankfully he had regained enough coordination to get in without stumbling and falling.

The girl that was in the middle seat moved so he could seat down, and other three girls in the back started murmuring and giggling. "Good morning, ladies." He greeted, struggling to close the door for he had to turn a bit to use his left arm. He left the bag on the floor and immediately fastened his seat belt.

"What happened to your arm?" the one next to him asked with curiosity.

"I was in a crash."

She nodded and fastened her seat belt too, the rest doing the same after they saw her friend doing so. Kihyun looked at them through the rear-view mirror, rolling his eyes and telling Seoyeon that they were good to go.

They arrived to an open field by the lake, it had beautiful summer flowers and huge trees in the background. One of the girls offered to carry the bag and helped Minhyuk getting out of the van, all of them sticking close by.

"Okay ladies, we are going to do individual ones first, so I want you to come one by one, the ones that are wearing white first-" Kihyun started ordering around, telling them how to pose and asking Minhyuk to hold some sort of screen so the light would be perfect.

He didn't really understand, but then again, this wasn't his field.

"What if they jump?"

It was time for the group photos and Kihyun had them grabbing their hands and making cute postures. He turned around to him at the suggestion, "jumping?"

"I know is not something innovative, but its fun and I think they will like them when they look back at it."

Kihyun stared at him for a moment before rolling his eyes, "girls, can you go back, then run and jump when I say so?"

The five girls smiled and did as indicated, laughing when one of them tripped, Kihyun taking pictures of them trying to lift her while holding their bellies and tearing up with laughing.

"Minhyuk-ssi, would you take a picture with us?" one of them asked as the girl who had fallen cleaned her clothes.

"Told you so," he whispered before looking at them, "ah, sorry but I didn't dress for the occasion, I would've put on a matching cast cover."

"Oh, come on!"

"Can he, Kihyun-ssi?"

"Why do you ask me?"

"Isn't he your boyfriend?" another girl asked as if obvious, taking Minhyuk's hand to drag him with the others.

Kihyun gasped, eyes wide looking at them, catching Minhyuk's embarrassed face. "We are- not a couple." He nodded at the older's words, ignoring their giggling and comments of how cute they would be together.

When they were back at the house Kihyun realized that Minhyuk hadn't denied being gay, instead he had only cleared the confusion by saying they were not a couple. That shouldn't really mean anything, right? Is not like any of them were a pervert, or had to be something just because they had a similar liking.

His mind was a mess after the long day and he wasn't thinking clearly. They had moved to the lake where Minhyuk encouraged the girls to get into the water, so he had ended up taking way more pictures than planned, and now would have to pick out more and edit longer than usual.

He decided to do the selection in the living room with the huge T.V. and maybe ask Minhyuk to seat on the other couch. He was used to being accompanied by Taesun, it was sick how much time they would spend together, and his absence was starting to feel heavier.

"I thought it didn't work," Minhyuk admitted on his way to the kitchen when he saw Kihyun connecting his laptop to the screen.

"It works, is just that I use the one in my room, and you never tried to turn it on so I guessed it wasn't something that you liked."

"I like T.V., although I prefer looking at.. things in third dimension?"

Kihyun laughed at that, "you are weird," he glanced at the other, who was now drinking his pills with a huge glass of water, "do you want to help me choose the best pictures?"

"I don't know if I have the eyes for that.."

"Come on, we just have to discard the ones where their eyes are closed, or there is hair on their faces, things like that."

After a moment Minhyuk nodded, letting the glass over the counter and sitting on the other extreme of the couch Kihyun was in. The photographer got up to turn the lights dimer and started to run the pictures from his laptop on the screen.

"Those two look exactly the same to me," around two hours had passed and they were arguing about a couple of pictures almost at the end.

"They do not, Minhyuk, this one is darker, and in this one she is smiling less," he explained and grunted when the other laughed as a kid laughing in nervousness as his mother scolded him, "never mind, we'll keep the second, I'll just edit the lightning."

Minhyuk nodded as if he knew what he was talking about, making the shorter smile. Kihyun decided that he should start editing now that he was on it, to avoid procrastination. He unplugged his laptop to be able to work on the details on his desktop computer, "I'll edit these on my room.. you should go to sleep, or you can watch T.V."

"Yeah, I'll go to rest, is late anyway."

"Yes.. good night."

"Good night."

It was around 2 pm when Kihyun decided it was enough editing for now, tomorrow he could finish the remaining pictures and that way have the week free in case he was needed to do another shooting out of schedule.

His stomach reminded him he hadn't eaten in hours, and although he was against late snacks, his hunger was bigger than his principles.

He walked downstairs using the flashlight of his cellphone, wondering if Minhyuk had closed his door so he could turn the kitchen lights on without bothering him. But the moment he turned towards the bedroom after pausing at the end of the staircase, he crashed against something. Rather, someone.

Both men screamed, Kihyun in fear and Minhyuk in pain for his arm had been crushed between their bodies. As the younger realized what had happened he grabbed his phone from the floor and pointed the flash to the injured arm.

"Are you okay? Does it hurt in a 'we need to go to the hospital' way?"

Minhyuk only whimpered a bit with a pout before shaking his head, Kihyun then went to turn the living room lights on, taking Minhyuk's left hand to have him sit on the armchair, crouching down in front of him to check his arm.

"I'm fine, it just hurts in a 'damn it's bad but I'm a macho' way..."

"Well, you pout a lot more than any man I know, so there's that," Kihyun made sure the cast was in place and.. honestly he didn't know what he was looking for. He immediately retrieved his hands before Minhyuk could think he was too touchy. "What where you doing, anyway? Didn't you see my flashlight?"

"I.. I had my eyes closed."

"W-what, why?"

"Because it was dark anyway?"

"Are you telling me, or asking me?" Kihyun sighed, sitting down on the floor when his legs started to hurt in the crouched down position he was in.

"Telling you..." He murmured, "I, it is something I do, a bad habit that I'm still trying to get rid off."

"Walking with your eyes closed? There are so many scenarios where you could hurt yourself, you could have fallen and injured that arm, or even broken the other one," he clicked his tongue in exasperation. "How the heck does that even becomes a habit?"

As usual, Minhyuk only shrugged and said in a low voice. "I told you, vision is not really my thing."

"And I told you you could stay here until you heal, but that offer will expire if you hurt yourself again."

With that ultimatum, he rose from the floor and went upstairs, his appetite covered by the stress.


	4. you're my only sight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It had been long since he had been this close to someone.
> 
> "It's okay, I'll take care of you."
> 
> \--big hint in the title...--

"I swear, I think he will give me gray hair."

"Come on, he can't be that bad," Hyunwoo laughed putting the heavy boxes on the back of his truck.

"You don't know him. He literally watches the same episode of a show two times in a row before moving to the next one, and I thought he was going to cry or murder me when he saw me eating cucumber, or both, not necessarily in that order. Who hates cucumber that much anyway?"

"You should replace his shampoo by the cucumber one, maybe you would scare him for good."

"That- is a great idea."

"Or maybe you should help me get all this boxes into the trunk, I mean, half of it is yours."

"Yeah. I'll take the shopping cart back while you finish," the younger avoided the situation and did as he said he would, coming back just as Hyunwoo was hopping back inside the car.

"Look, what I'm saying is that, maybe you should give him a chance- no. I'm not telling you to become his friend or be open to him as you were with Taesun," Hyunwoo advised, "but maybe you could be civilized and get to know each other a bit, maybe discover what he is doing here, or help him find a friend. Because all I know is that no one likes to feel lonely on a foreign city after your brother died and your body broke in several places."

Kihyun didn't answer, but Hyunwoo took it as a good sign. Silence when it came to the shorter meant he was thinking about it, and believe it or not, it was progress.

"You don't have to get them in," Kihyun insisted but truth was he didn't mind having someone carry the burden for once, even if it was only carrying boxes from the sidewalk to the kitchen.

"It's fine, I don't want you to be tired anyway, you know, so you can maybe have a conversation with certain person."

Both carried the boxes and carefully placed them in the kitchen's floor. "Well, said person is coming," he whispered as they heard footsteps approaching.

"Hi." A soft voice came from the living room and they turned to see Minhyuk standing awkwardly, playing with the fastener of his arm sling.

"Hi," Hyunwoo greeted, smiling wide after the injured boy bowed slightly. "I'm Hyunwoo, Kihyun's friend, you must be Minhyuk."

Just as Minhyuk was going to answer Kihyun interrupted, "and you, must be late for your date, we won't hold you back any longer, I'll bring the other boxes myself. Come on, I'll walk you to the entrance."

Hyunwoo's eyes closed in a smile as he saw Minhyuk waving goodbye while he was being dragged outside by the photographer. "He is cute."

"And you are in a relationship."

"I wouldn't mind becoming gay for him," he teased, getting into his truck.

"Girlfriend!" The younger reminded him, taking the last two boxes from the sidewalk and walking back towards the house.

"I can help," Minhyuk offered, entering the kitchen after Kihyun.

"Not with that broken arm; go close the door please."

The older did as asked and came back to the kitchen, opening the boxes as he could and trying to place the food on the pantry.

"Minhyuk, I said I'd do it."

"Yes but I can help you, I still have a functional hand and-" just as he was proving his point the can on his hand slipped from his grasp and fell on the ground in a loud manner.

"Minhyuk!" Kihyun went to grab it and groaned when he noticed it got dented. "Just.. let me do it, please stay back. Gosh, you are exhausting."

"I'm sorry, I only wanted to help."

"You have helped enough!"

"What does that even mean?"

"Just, get out of here! This is my kitchen! This is my house! You took part of my life already, what else could you possibly want?!"

He hadn't meant to say that, any of that actually. But his mouth already had done it, and Minhyuk had already heard it. He left the kitchen and crossed the living room rapidly entering the bedroom, closing the door behind him, yet not completely closed.

Kihyun stood there for a moment, fighting with himself over his choice of words and his options to try and fix it. He decided both should have a second alone to clear their minds before anything to avoid other confrontation like that one, so he put everything away on its place and served a glass of water.

His steps were slow and he tried not to trip as he made his way towards the bedroom after he had turned the lights off. Before entering he turned on the hall's dim light and then opened the door to find the other's silhouette laying over the bed on his left side.

It reminded him of the day Taesun broke up with his first girlfriend. Kihyun had laid in the other side of the bed just humming lullabies while the other cried. They ended up talking about irrelevant topics and woke up cuddling each other; that's when Kihyun realized he was starting to develop feelings for the younger.

"I brought you water," he whispered, leaving the glass on the nightstand in front of Minhyuk, catching a glimpse of his wet face before he covered it with a small pillow. He walked around the bed and counted to three before taking his slippers off and sitting on the bed, the mattress sinking under his weight.

"What're y'doin?"

"I want to talk to you.. laying down helps my brain get better oxygenation to choose my words."

"S'not like your head wasn't close to the ground, let that to tall people."

Kihyun laid back and breathed in, and out, in, and out. It was him who had made a mistake, so he didn't have the right to get angry now, despite Minhyuk being a prick.

"Look," he swallowed, playing with his hands over his stomach as he tried to form a sentence, "I am sorry... I shouldn't have said any of the things I said back in the kitchen. I know it was wrong and I didn't mean any of it. Thanks for trying to help, I was just sensible and... I don't blame you for anything, I know it wasn't your fault and-"

"But it was."

"It's just a can, it's nothi-"

"No, not the can!" Minhyuk took the pillow away from his face and turned around to face upwards, "Taesun... he is dead because of me."

"But you said the red truck-"

"Yes. I know, and I say to myself that it has nothing to do, but if I hadn't contacted him, if I hadn't come he wouldn't have been in that road and he would still be here."

"No, Minhyuk, please don't say that." Kihyun turned his body to be able to see Minhyuk, both had tears on their eyes. "He would have been there anyway, and if the person on the red truck had a purpose, it could have happened any other day."

The older shook his head. "Do you mean it? I- I feel terrible, as if I were taking over his life."

"You are not, no one could replace him, but also you deserve to live... Don't punish yourself just because you survived while he didn't. I might be a dick but I don't want you to feel that way, I don't want to think of you in that way."

Minhyuk swallowed a cry, turning on his side with extreme care, his broken forearm resting on the mattress between them. "He loved you, so much. All he talked about was you, how much I would like you, and how much you had helped him."

"Did he said he loved me?"

"He didn't have to, not in those words. But he implied how he wanted to stay with you as long as you wanted. What he did say was that he was.. asexual?"

"What, no... He never told me that."

"When, when I told him I was gay he said it was no problem, and then murmured how it was fine because he was asexual."

Kihyun frowned, "when I told him I was gay, he didn't say anything."

"Maybe he was too afraid of losing you."

"I would never leave him. I would have learned to live with that, all I needed was him."

Minhyuk shrugged. "Maybe he was afraid that wouldn't be enough with time, afraid you would find someone else. Or maybe he wanted you to find someone."

Kihyun tried to remember moments that would signal that, but his brain was too overwhelmed and his body was too tired. He knew that the moment he started to think on the what ifs he would get stressed and depressed too. All the progress made to overcome what happened to his friend would have been in vain, so he decided it wasn't worth it.

He had to let him go. And that included the idea of ever having the most remote chance of being with him as a couple.

None of them spoke further, both fighting against their dark thoughts and the fatigue, but the latter won over their tired bodies, the two of them falling asleep without even realizing.

A resounding thunder woke them up, Minhyuk covering his ears while Kihyun sat alarmed, looking around and noticing the sound came from the strong storm outside. He took on his surroundings that he had fallen asleep beside Minhyuk at some point after the conversation, reaching to the back pocket of his jeans he read the hour from his phone.

"One twenty, A.M." he said as Minhyuk sat too.

"It's cold," the older pouted, taking off his arm sling.

Kihyun looked at him, but it was different this time. Before, there had been this weight on his chest that wouldn't let him see the taller as more than 'the brother of a dead friend'. Now, even with the dim light coming from the hall, he was able to notice how fair his skin was and the way one of his eyes would wink instead of blinking.

"Yes..." He stopped looking at the other's face, seeing that the window behind their heads was open. He turned, getting on his knees and slightly bumping against Minhyuk's shoulder when reaching to close it, "sorry."

"S'okay."

The younger sat on his calves for a second before returning to his sitting position, "Hey.. uh. Did you take your pills?" _Seriously Ki?_

"Oh.. no. But I don't need them anymore. The pain is really bearable and I don't- I don't get dizzy lately."

He wanted to talk to Minhyuk. He was to used to have someone around, to have someone to chat about his day or random things, he was way to used to having someone to hug. But there was this pending matter between them, something he needed to know.

"I am sorry if this is too personal, but I need to know.. why did you contact Sunny after all this time?"

Minhyuk became visibly tensed, folding his legs towards his chest and bracing them with his left arm. "It's fine, Tae would have tell you anyway." He said with a small sigh. "It ain't something bad- not really bad. My- our, our parents died a couple of months ago."

Kihyun wanted to feel empathy or something, but for what he knew, they had left Taesun aside. Still, he reached to pat Minhyuk's back and said sorry.

"It was a car accident, how ironic," he shook his head. "Dad died in the spot but mom fought for a week. One of those days she was awake and, she told me about Taesun. You see, I was a sick baby, and one of the consequences was this temporal blindness, so... from 2 years old to my fifth year of elementary school I couldn't see. Then I had some surgeries that fixed it, but the light was too much for me and I would rather close my eyes; they had to take extra care of me all the time, including the many years of huge glasses and therapy.."

"You were blind when he was born..."

Minhyuk nodded, "I was three years old, I only remember hearing him crying but I was too young and too apart from the world to know what was happening. They didn't think they could raise both of us, and they feared being criticized for giving away the blind kid."

"So they gave Taesun away," Kihyun concluded looking at the other close his eyes and frown, "you know that wasn't your fault right?"

"I- I don't know. Not directly. I know grandma took good care of him, and he told me what a support you were after she died and he had to stay alone, but I wish it hadn't had to be that way. I don't know why my parents didn't bring him back when she passed away... I was okay then, I wish I could have been there for him, he was too young to go trough that alone."

Both stayed quiet for a moment, the storm outside unaware of their grief.

Kihyun hated that mood, Sunny wouldn't want them to be wiping at midnight while a storm raged outside, "so.. that's why you close your eyes."

Minhyuk smiled, "I just like it when my other senses intensify. That's also why I can't completely understand your profession, Kihyun-ssi."

Kihyun laughed and reached the others face to cover his eyes with his hand. "So silly. I will have to put you on a sleigh bell so we don't bump into each other again."

The older laughed too and tried to uncover his eyes, taking Kihyun's small hands into his huge ones, "so tiny paws."

The brown haired hissed and retrieved his hand, "ya! What abnormally big hands you have."

"The better to see with," he responded in a high pitched voice.

"Is that supposed to be the granny?" Kihyun laughed, "can you tell expressions by touching their face?"

Minhyuk nodded, turning towards the younger, both with their legs crossed. "May I?" he asked and closed his eyes when the other nodded. He carefully extended his hand to touch Kihyun's face, who held his breath at the contact. "Now, make an expression."

Kihyun tried to make an angry face without frowning to much, so it wouldn't be so obvious.

"Guess."

"Anger."

"Wha- that fast?" Minhyuk had barely touched his face, his fingers only caressing the skin around his lips and chin.

"You press your lips when you get angry."

"What about now?" he made a funny face just to bother the other but got angry when his answer was 'constipated'.

Minhyuk laughed but kept touching his face tenderly. Kihyun didn't stop him, staring at the other and struggling to keep his mind clear, "what about now?"

The older held his breath when he felt Kihyun getting closer, opening his eyes to find him staring at his lips and then making eye contact. "What are you doing?" He asked in a soft tone.

"I don't know," he felt flustered but it had been long since he had been this close to someone, and even longer since he had been kissed, and his mind was too clouded to think about it more deeply. Leaning forward he pressed his lips over Minhyuk's, who gasped at this.

"Oh- okay," was all Minhyuk could manage to say before kissing back back softly; the storm outside still loud enough to remind them of its presence, the calming smell of rain filling the room. Kihyun placed a hand on Minhyuk's neck gently to caress the skin there while also tilting their heads to deepen the kiss.

Kihyun, tired of the position but not separating from the kiss, got onto his knees and since Minhyuk was a bit taller he was just a bit above him, Minhyuk slightly leaning his head back. After a couple of minutes of just making out, Minhyuk raised his left hand to press it against the photographer's back, bringing him closer. It was rather late and both were too focused on each other as if to stop kissing.

Some minutes later, they broke the kiss for a second, but not the eye contact, only so Minhyuk could move to the center of the bed, stretching his legs for Kihyun to straddle his lap. The younger took his shirt off and with a giggle helped Minhyuk who was struggling to do so with only his left hand.

They started kissing again with more passion but still pretty gentle, an agitated feeling in Kihyun's stomach at the careful affection, as if Minhyuk knew what he liked. His lower body quickly started to react and before he knew it he was moving his hips against the older.

There wasn't much Minhyuk could do right now since his available hand was caressing Kihyun's back up and down. Also Kihyun hadn't been with someone in such a long time that he knew it would hurt if he continued what he wanted to do. But everytime he tried to separate from the kiss Minhyuk would manage to find his mouth again, impossible for both to break it.

"Please, do something," the black haired asked getting a smile as a response to his needy request.

With a nod Kihyun raised his body from the other's and easily took the rest of his clothes off, he then helped Minhyuk do the same although he couldn't really see because of the room's poor lighting. He sat back where he was and pushed Minhyuk a bit so his back was against the headboard, setting a pillow in between the wood and his back so it wouldn't hurt his muscles.

"I can do something but I think my hands are not big enough," he showed him his hand and Minhyuk pressed his own hand against the smaller palm, showing the difference. "Okay you can do it."

He immediately leaned back into another kiss, pressing his eyes closed when he felt Minhyuk's warm fingers touching his erection. A small sigh escaped his mouth, hands exploring the other's fair skin. Minhyuk broke the kiss and dragged his lips down his sharp jaw, slightly nipping at the skin every now and then on his way towards Kihyun's neck.

Minhyuk glanced up for a second, right when a lightning illuminated the room, many emotions invading his body at the expressions the other was making. He took both of them in his hand and started stroking them at the same pace they kissed. Kihyun kissed back for a moment with small strangled noises trying to escape from his throat, before tilting his head back and humping at the rhythm Minhyuk's hand set, which was growing faster by every passing second.

"Mmm-Min- ngh—" Minhyuk couldn't stop looking at him, eyes pressed tight closed, hands holding his shoulders for support, a slight coat of sweat starting to form on his skin, and those low pitched groans. He left out a cry and his head seemed suddenly too heavy to hold upright.

"It's okay Ki, I'll take care of you." His usually husky voice was raspier than normal, but Kihyun still nodded and opened his eyes to try and look at him. He was frowning as if in pain, desperate for release, and Minhyuk really wanted to caress his neck to help him hold his head up, but he still had that stupid cast on.

Kihyun then shook his head as if he couldn't handle it anymore, his body starting to tremble, spams growing from his crotch to all his extremities. He pressed his forehead against Minhyuk's as he came with a groan, panting for a second before moving to place his arms around the older's shoulders, hiding his face on his neck.

A moment latter Minhyuk finished too, tears filling his eyes as he stroked himself a few more times before letting his arm fall beside over the bedding. He cleaned his hand on the bed cover to hug back the smaller, and he couldn't help but laugh lovingly at Kihyun's odd shyness.

"Are you okay?"

Kihyun nodded, leaning back to detach from the hug, cleaning with all his usual dignity the tears that had escaped his eyes. As if he wasn't still seating on Minhyuk's lap. He rolled his eyes at Minhyuk's pout but kissed it anyways, immediately getting of from him to sit to his right, the arm with cast between them.

Minhyuk was really intrigued at the vulnerability that was uncharacteristic of the brown haired. He meant to ask about it but his body decided he should yawn, snapping Kihyun off whatever trance he was on.

"Are you too tired to shower?" At the older's nod he stood up and went into the bathroom to take the wipes he had bought for Minhyuk, cleaning himself before handing them to the taller. He then asked him to stand up so he could take off the blanket from the bed. Finally, he took some boxers from a drawer, throwing a pair to Minhyuk, and then walking towards the closet to take out a clean blanket.

Minhyuk helped, as much as he could with one hand, to place the clean blanket over the bed before both could get in it, the room's air starting to feel cold as their bodies where cooling down from the moment shared.

"This is okay, right?" the older asked, moving to face Kihyun, always careful with his arms.

"I hope so," he admitted, "we can talk about it tomorrow, if you want. Can we.. just sleep and pretend this is completely normal?"

Minhyuk nodded and as soon as the smaller closed his eyes, he reached to caress his cheek, fingertips barely pressing against his skin. The usually cold and straightforward Kihyun seemed so fragile, hand taking his by the wrist to hold close to his chest, as if needing to hold something in order to be able to sleep. To know someone was there, that he wasn't alone. Not again.


	5. you gotta hold me tight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter may trigger some people if you're too sensible to the accident, read with discretion.

Kihyun woke up when he heard the water from the bathroom's sink running; eyes heavy and brain disoriented. He glanced around after lowering the blanket a bit from his face since he was completely covered, he was in Sunny's room. For a stupid second, in his sleepy state, he thought his friend was the one sitting at the feet of the bed.

"Morning," but that voice wasn't Sunny's. "It's pretty cold because of the rain, here." Minhyuk, who had a cozy blanket around his shoulders, was offering a pink one to him.

Kihyun sat down and took it, slowly placing it around his body despite the chill air. He stared around at anything but Minhyuk's eyes, biting his lower lip to distract himself for the heavy pressure on the pit of his stomach.

"Are you okay?"

"Hm-" he nodded, finally meeting the worried eyes, the uneven blink just reiterating that the man there was Minhyuk and not his Sunny. "Yes, sorry- I, it takes me a while to fully wake up," he lied.

"I see," the older smiled wide, so gleeful that the sun wouldn't need to come out from behind the clouds today.

Kihyun finally got out of the bed—the blanket long enough to cover below his knees from the cold and Minhyuk's curious eyes—, and made his way to the kitchen, followed close behind by the taller.

"Do you want coffee?" He asked, although he doubted Minhyuk needed extra energy.

"I can take a cup," he sat down at the counter while Kihyun set the coffee machine to prepare coffee for both. "Listen, I get you can be uncomfortable with what happened yesterday-"

"I'm not," Kihyun admitted. Yes, Minhyuk wasn't his favorite person, he wasn't his favorite Lee, but he didn't regret the moment they shared the previous night. "Did it make you uncomfortable?"

"Not at all."

"Good."

He served a cup for each, adding sugar to the older's cup without asking, the way he used to do for someone else's cup before. Minhyuk chose not to comment on it, drinking slowly form the warm cup, and not really bothered by the action probably meant for his brother.

"Do you have to work today?"

"Nope, and I don't think anyone will want a session with this weather. Maybe Jooheon will come though, a friend of ours, to record something. I think you will get along with him."

"Record?"

"Mhm, he is a composer and he sometimes asks me to sing the chorus for his songs."

"I didn't know you sing. I should help cleaning the house, if- if you are okay with it."

Kihyun felt his cheeks burning up at the memory of his harsh words from the previous day. After they finished the hot drink, their bodies warm enough to just put on long sleeved shirts, they started cleaning up the kitchen and living room before going each to their bathrooms to shower.

Minhyuk took a bit longer for he had to be careful, but not so much since he was used to it by now. In about a month he would be free from the cast, but he tried to avoid thinking about it — future so uncertain it made him anxious.

"Minhyuk-ssi? Are you almost ready?" a quiet knock on his door startled him out of his trance. He opened the door after putting the shaving razor on its place. Kihyun was wearing a fuzzy sweater and jeans, hair still a bit wet. "They called, they are almost here, so I'll receive them and you can come to say hello once you are ready, okay?"

"Yes." Kihyun nodded once and left the room.

Minhyuk was struggling with a shirt, trying to roll up the right sleeve comfortably so it wouldn't stretch with the cast, when he heard a car parking by the entrance and the front door being opened. He went to see himself on the mirror before stepping out of the room, noticing Kihyun and a guy were still outside, bringing some equipment out of the car as Kihyun held the umbrella for him.

"You must be Minhyuk!" He was startled when a man spoke from the sitting area, a black haired boy with thin lips and deep voice. The taller nodded and bowed slightly. "I am Changkyun, nice to meet you."

"Ah, Minhyuk-ssi, I see you have meet Changkyun, the little shit who hid in order not to help us carry the equipment."

He looked at Kihyun who was just by the entrance, putting on his slippers. He then noticed a boy close to him, he assumed it was Jooheon, and he was setting down a heavy looking equipment on the small coffee table. 

"Hi, Minhyuk-ssi, I am Jooheon," the rapper approached him once he had his hands free, taking his hand in greeting.

"Oh, you have dimples!" Minhyuk noticed happily, forgetting every human etiquette and touching one of his dimples, smile widening even more.

Kihyun cleared his throat while closing the door, "should we start?" 

"Oh, sure. We'll set this quickly, here," Jooheon handed some papers to Kihyun, his eyes almost all the time over the older in the room, even as he walked towards the living room to help Changkyun.

The brown haired stared at both. Although he and Minhyuk were nothing but somehow roommates and knew Jooheon could be flirty with everyone when meeting them for the first time, he was feeling a bit upset.

"Do you know how to read music?"

Minhyuk quickly nodded, following him to sit on the sofa. Kihyun didn't say anything when the older leaned over his shoulder to look at the sheets, only made a bit of room for him. But it was because he didn't want the other to hurt his broken arm. Just that.

Minhyuk was amazed. He knew how to sing, he did it as a hobby. But Kihyun's ability to do so, and Jooheon's rap, and Changkyun's low tone, and Kihyun's voice, it was just overwhelming and exciting.

"We should move the song half a tone for the bridge," the three were talking about the song, making arrangements, correcting spelling, modifying some words. And although it was repetitive and long, Minhyuk felt he could never get tired of listening to it. Especially to Kihyun's voice.

"Ah, Minhyuk I think you should drink your pills, you left them at the counter."

"Right," he smiled and left the living room.

"He is cute," Changkyun hurried to say, his voice not quiet enough.

"And he is right there, open concept room? You never heard of it before?" Kihyun whispered, trying to figure out if he should do a run in the bridge or keep it simple.

"I bet he has heard it," Kihyun looked at Jooheon with a blank expression, "what? I'm just saying, I'm not trying to steal him if that's what you think."

"Steal him?"

"Yeah."

"The heck are you talking about-"

"Do you guys want anything?" Minhyuk called, the three turning their heads at him.

"Uh- just a bottle of water is fine," Jooheon asked for with a sided smile.

"Ye-ep."

"Stop flirting with him!" Kihyun screamed in a whisper.

"Why?"

At this the older didn't know what to answer. Minhyuk came back to the living room, handing Jooheon a bottle and sitting again by Kihyun's side.

When everything seemed to be solved for a few songs Kihyun offered to make dinner, so while he prepared something Jooheon and Changkyun put everything away and back on the car.

They were all eating when thunders started to be heard, just like the previous night. "Uh- we should leave before the storm starts, I don't want to have-" Jooheon stopped talking as if realizing something.

Minhyuk looked at him in confusion, noticing the weird expressions everyone had. Kihyun was stabbing his food but wouldn't take anything to his mouth; the other two boys just continued eating awkwardly. 

A few minutes later Jooheon and Changkyun were saying their goodbyes and leaving just a bit before the rain started to pour down. Minhyuk stood by the porch a few minutes, enjoying the earthy smell and cool air that got to his skin despite the blanket wrapped around his shoulders. 

When he got in he immediately went to the kitchen where the younger was washing the dishes. "Can I help you with something?"

He could swear he heard the other sob, but let it go as he nodded, "could you put those containers into the fridge? If you feel hungry later or tomorrow feel free to reheat."

Minhyuk did as asked and waited patiently for the other to finish. Except that, when Kihyun rinsed the last glass and took the gloves off his hands, he didn't turn around.

"Are- are you okay?"

Minhyuk could see his torso shaking, as if crying, so he dropped the blanket and walked around the counter in a hurry, standing by his side and watching him slowly fall apart.

"He- he's gone." His usually serious face was now contorted in pain, his lower lip a bit downwards and his eyebrows in a deep frown. Minhyuk didn't need to ask whom, just wrapping his arms around the smaller's shoulders and crying himself, careful not to hurt the other with his cast.

"Let's sit down, Ki-"

"I- can you give me water?" he asked with a broken voice.

"Sure." Minhyuk helped him to the closest stool and walked towards the fridge to fill a glass before handing it to the younger.

"Thanks," the brown haired said with a weak smile, giving the rest of the water for Minhyuk to finish, "sorry, it's just- I miss him."

Minhyuk nodded. It was understandable, it had happen less than two months ago. He himself still had nightmares about it and almost accepted he would have them much longer. But Kihyun had a different pain, he had known Taesun longer, better, and closer.

"Maybe I should go to bed earlier today," Kihyun stood up, stopping for a second in hesitance. He reached forward to hug Minhyuk, who immediately held him.

"It will be easier, not soon, not completely, but it will be easier at some point."

"Promise?"

The taller placed a kiss on his head before separating a bit from the hug, "promise."

They stared at each other's eyes for what felt like hours, Kihyun's puffy face seeming to relax. "Goodnight."

Minhyuk nodded, letting him go, "goodnight."

He decided not to say anything when Kihyun left to go upstairs. He also didn't say anything when around midnight he woke up to the smaller climbing onto his bed. He didn't say anything but let the other get comfortable over his chest and left arm. He felt his heart break when the other called his brother on his sleep.

"Ugh- don't move."

"You are crushing my neck."

"Is it broken?"

"No?"

"Then don't be a baby."

Minhyuk huffed but stopped trying to unlatch the younger away from his neck. He woke when Kihyun's hold started to difficult his breathing. He looked at the clock on the nightstand, 6:30, the sun was still behind clouds and it was dark, but he wasn't tired anymore.

"Ugh, I can't go back to sleep," Kihyun complained, unwrapping his arms off Minhyuk's body.

"You are very clingy at night, you knew that?"

"Yi ir viry clingy it night," Kihyun imitated his voice to then fix his own messy hair, with dignity.

Minhyuk rolled his eyes and tried to get out of the bed before Kihyun stopped him, "what?"

"Where you going?"

"To the bathroom?" Minhyuk laughed when he saw the other pouting, "you are like a different person in bed."

"Excuse me?"

"I mean when sleepy- ugh never mind, you are snappy anytime of the day."

After closing the bathroom door he could hear Kihyun going upstairs. Maybe they would start the day earlier this time.

They took breakfast in silence but both could sense an awkward atmosphere.

"We could go to the mall, for you to get used to the town."

Minhyuk nodded, a bit of excitement settling in his stomach at the idea of finally going out.

"That would be great."

Kihyun took the plates and placed them at the sink before standing next to Minhyuk's stool. "I'm sorry for my changing personality, I am still too affected by Sunny and what happened and, I'm not used to being alone." Minhyuk nodded, taking his hands with his left one, "I want to make sure it didn't make you uncomfortable?"

The older shook his head with a slight smile, "I'm actually a very touchy and annoying person so, it's fine with me. I know Taesun was an important person for you, so it's fine and completely understandable if you still don't get used to him not being here."

Kihyun nodded, playing nervously with Minhyuk's long fingers, "and, I'm sorry if I ever called you Sunny... I don't want you to pretend you are him or anything like that, please make me get back into reason if I ever do so again."

"Okay.." he whispered, amazed at how calm and cute the brown haired could be.

"Also, you don't have to leave as soon as your cast is off. You came here for a reason and Sunny was to help you, so the least I can do is help you resolve it and settle down."

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable-"

"I told you I don't like being alone- I am really okay with you being here."

Minhyuk giggled and squished the hand that was playing with his palm, Kihyun huffing and going to wash his teeth so they could go out.


	6. let me knock out this door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Pretty." He teased.
> 
> "Greedy"
> 
> "Cry baby"
> 
> "Beautiful." The other blushed.
> 
> -Mature content-

They decided to walk towards the mall since it wasn't that far away and the weather was very nice, cloudy and warm.

"But, isn't it challenging? I mean, if your sight doesn't work that well with pictures, how will it with paintings?"

"That's the thing, kid's art don't need that deep insight, just interpretation and to teach them the colors and to be creative."

Kihyun smiled at him in understanding, amazed at how the older's eyes glowed when talking about children.

"Well, there is a kindergarten close from here, we could come tomorrow and see if they need a teacher for the year that'll start."

"Really? That would be great."

They walked into the mall and started to look around at the clothing stores, both looking thoroughly between all the displayed clothing, trying on some stuff and going to the next store.

Every now and then someone would say _hi_ to Kihyun or said _sorry_ for his lost. It was a bit tiring so they walked to the food area.

"I will use this one for the next session I have, since it is a wedding."

They were eating and talking about the clothes Kihyun bought, it was a feeling of total normality, as it they had been friends for long and this was a thing of every weekend.

"Many people seems to know you."

Kihyun slowly nodded at the comment, "I always try to meet people and make contacts, you know, especially for my business. Also, everyone was fond of Sunny, your grandma made sure he knew as much people as possible so he could greet them by their name when passing by."

"I see."

"You remind me of him, but in weird ways. He tried to be positive but you genuinely see the good side of things, and you also are like a sun."

"A blazing, brilliant, celestial fireball in everyone's sky?"

Kihyun almost choked on his drink, rolling his eyes at the other's laugh. "More like dangerous to health and annoying when you want to sleep more."

"Your arm was crushing my neck!"

Both laughed and continued with their meal, "you are good to depression and although you can cause headaches, you really are like vitamin D."

"Well thank you, you are like clouds if I may compare too."

Kihyun frowned at this, thinking hard what it could mean, "dark and stormy?"

Minhyuk shook his head, nipping at his straw, "shape shifter, refreshing and.. You know how to intervene when the sun is being just too much..."

The younger felt his face blushing, nervous hands playing with the now empty plate.

"...and pretty." Minhyuk completed, smirking at the reactions he was getting from the other.

"I think your food was spoiled, we should head home."

"Pretty!" The older teased but still followed Kihyun to the first floor of the mall.

They called a ride since they were full and didn't feel like walking all the way back. Minhyuk insisted to pay it since he still had resources and owed too much to the boy.

"Next time I'll pay for the meal then."

"No, you already cook for both of us."

"Because you have a broken arm!"

"Still!" Just as they got into the house the phone rang, Kihyun quick to answer it while Minhyuk closed the door behind him.

Without any word Kihyun climbed upstairs while talking, leaving the other clueless on the main floor.

He heard some crying and hurried upstairs without thinking twice. There was an area office-like with pictures and a desk, computer and cameras. To his right there was a double entrance with one of the doors slightly open. He slowly got in, taking in his surroundings for a second before setting his eyes on the crying boy beside the bed, sitting at the carpet.

"Kihyun... What's wrong?"

"They found them.. they were teenagers who only wanted to scare you for fun. Their trial is in two weeks, but since they are underage they will likely be out in just a few years."

Minhyuk shook his head in anger, it wasn't fair. How come something made in spite of fun was fair to end up with a life and affect others so much?

They sat on the floor for hours, just crying, and talking, and crying and hugging. It was already done and there was only too much they could do about it.

A few days later they went to the trial, Minhyuk had to speak, and after many hours they got the verdict. The two problematic teenagers where to spend a couple of years of their sentence in a correctional, and then go to prison for several years.

Hyunwoo, Hoseok and Hyungwon where there too. But none of them felt better at the verdict. It was too late. It wasn't going to change what happened.

When they finally let Minhyuk out after some paperwork he found Kihyun nearly asleep on Hyunwoo's arms.

"How are you feeling?" Hyungwon asked him, wrapping him in a hug when the tears flooded his eyes. Minhyuk accepted the embrace and they walked outside and towards Hoseok's car where Hyunwoo kissed Kihyun's forehead before leaving to his own car.

"Do you want to go for the car now? Or is it too soon?" Hyungwon asked as he sat on the driver's seat, looking at Minhyuk and Kihyun through the rear-view mirror.

"Let's finish with this already. Also I can't keep rejecting jobs because of transportation," he sighed, looking at Minhyuk who fastened his own seat belt at lightning speed.

"Okay." Hyungwon took them to the company where they would give Kihyun a car similar to the one that was lost in the accident.

"Are you tired? You can leave with Hoseok and Hyungwon if you want, I'll see you at home."

Minhyuk shook his head, getting out of the car to follow him after thanking the other two and saying goodbye. They waited and made paperwork for almost an hour before they handed Kihyun the keys.

"Come, Min," he called walking behind the employee that showed him where the car was, "thank you."

They started at the car for a few seconds, then watched at each other's eyes and nodded. It was time to take the next step on letting Sunny go.

It was a different car, not even the color was the same so it was a good start. Minhyuk hopped on the passenger seat, both buckling up their seat belts and Kihyun starting the car.

"We should do something, I feel like going home right now would be depressing."

Minhyuk agreed and so they stopped by a convenience store to buy a blanket, chips, snacks and drinks before heading to the lake.

"Sunny always said things happen for a reason, and they happen the moment they have to happen," Kihyun began to say as they walked closer to the shore to settle their picnic. "So I want to believe this is a new stage, a new chapter that just began and that is only influenced but not condemned by the previous one."

Minhyuk stared at him and slowly nodded.

"Way too poetic?"

"No!" Minhyuk laughed, opening a bag of chips once they sat at a tree's shade, "we could write a song with that."

They laughed and started to nib on their snacks, talking about things they liked and weird or cringe childhood stories.

"Wait, it's from the kindergarten," Minhyuk stood up to answer the phone while pacing by the shore.

Kihyun looked at him, at how he walked side to side in nervousness and his left eye seemed to blink even more than usual. He was afraid they were learning too much about each other, both consciously and subconsciously.

And he had to admit that Minhyuk was starting to get in his mind more than necessary. If he was honest he had despised the guy at the beginning, but if he were to remember looking at him at the hospital bed, his heart would crush in pain.

Also, if he had a type, Minhyuk would totally be it. He was loud by nature and strong when making decisions, he was tall, his eyes cutely uneven, and his voice was husky yet soft.

He tried to look away when they made eye contact but Minhyuk was walking so fast towards him that it sacred him. "I got the job!" Minhyuk embraced the shorter with his healthy arm, and before he could sit down on the blanket he felt arms circling his waist.

"I'm so happy for you!" Kihyun giggled placing his jaw over Minhyuk's shoulder for longer than necessary, "sorry," he said finally breaking the hug. 

"Thank you," the elder sat right next to Kihyun's hip, their legs slightly touching while both looked at the lake and the approaching clouds.

"Should've brought my camera," Kihyun sighed, taking his phone from his pocket and resting his head on the taller's shoulder. He snapped a few pictures of the lake, using Minhyuk's body as support.

"Beautiful."

"Right?" Kihyun agreed referring to the landscape, deciding to turn the camera around to take a picture of themselves. "Smile."

They made different faces for the camera, gummy smiles, pouting and peace signs, laughing when Kihyun moved the camera to take pictures of only himself. "Greedy."

"Cry baby," he teased at Minhyuk's eternal pout. In an impulse he leaned forward to give the older a chaste kiss. He started to look through the pictures taken, frowning after a while, "why are you so quiet? If I had know a kiss would shut you up I would have done it before."

Minhyuk grinned, taking the smaller's face on his hand to pull him in another kiss.

"Ya!" Kihyun complained, but not really pulling apart. Rather, he leaned in again to press their lips together, closing his eyes at the sensation, something he had missed doing yet felt so unique. The kiss got deeper with Kihyun's hand moving up the other's thigh.

A thunder reminded them they were outside, in a public space. "We should leave," Kihyun huffed, standing up to pick up the food wrappings and trash. He licked over his own lip, already missing the other's careful kissing.

They walked to the car, placing everything on the trunk before hopping in the front seats. As Minhyuk fastened his seat belt Kihyun reached to hold his hand for a second and they just looked at each other's eyes, reassurance and trust in their expressions.

The rain started as soon as they parked in front of the door, "you could use a garage."

"I know right? It makes me reconsider getting another house."

"Reconsidering?" Minhyuk asked confused. They run to get under the roofed porch, deciding to clean the trunk until the following day.

"Well, after the accident I thought there was no use on having such a big house, also it is missing the parking space and maybe a backyard."

They entered the house, it was way warmer than the outside. "Then I guess we can go house hunting together... I'll be able to do things by myself on three weeks maybe."

That thought somehow was heavy to both's stomachs, Kihyun feeling upset and desperate, "but.. I don't like being alone."

Their eyes met again and Minhyuk shook his head, not knowing what to do with the feelings that were starting to settle deep in his heart. Then he nodded, "okay."

"Okay," Kihyun somehow took it as a signal of permission, wrapping his arms around the taller's neck. This time the kiss was definitely more passionate, even more urgent than the ones of their first night together.

Small whines escaped the photographer's mouth, meeting Minhyuk's own heavy breathing. "Tell me what you want."

"My room," Kihyun broke the kiss and hurried to turn off the light, taking the other's hand to guide him upstairs, not stopping to think about anything. His room was dark and only had a bit of cloudy moon light getting in through a space between the curtains.

They undressed trying to keep their lips over the other's skin all the while, Minhyuk careful with the sling. As soon as they were naked Kihyun guided Minhyuk to the bed, kissing his neck and slowly going lower through his body.

"Ki-"

"We can't risk to hurt your arm, let me this time." He reached for the nightstand to take something, leaving it on the side as he climbed over Minhyuk's body, just like last time, almost as if he belonged there.

"Sure?"

"Yes," he helped him lay down completely over his back, only a pillow under his head, starting to move over his hips.

"Gosh, I feel like a teenager."

"Why?!" Kihyun laughed, laying down over his body, trying to go slower so this would last longer, "wait, you are bottom?"

"No! I mean, whatever you want. It's just that this reminds me from when I didn't know what to do, but way worse. Because I want to do so many things but I can't with this on my arm."

Kihyun nodded in understatement, nipping at the skin of his neck, then stopping.

"What's wrong?"

"Uh- I, I know what I'm not and maybe that won't be enough."

"What do you mean?" Minhyuk asked seriously concerned, his blood coming back to his head for a bit.

"That I'm sure you can make it special for people that is with you, but I am not uh.. I know I can look daring because I'm usually bossy, but I'm not that.. confident, or, sexy."

Minhyuk stared with desbelief at the boy in his lap. "I understand. But believe me, I don't need you to do anything daring or foreplay that makes you uncomfortable, seriously." Kihyun looked suddenly overwhelmed and the older wondered how much experience he would have, not that he himself had been with too many people. "Babe, it's okay to be shy, it's okay to be soft, and it's okay to be you, it is more than enough."

He was still amazed at how different Kihyun could be, so vulnerable, desperate but clueless at the same time.

"Alright, baby. What if you let me do it and we don't tell anything about this to the doctor?"

He suggested, lifting his own weight with a cast would be uncomfortable and a bit painful, but it couldn't do that much of damage. But that was a complete no for the rational brown haired.

"You stay there," Kihyun shook his head and laughed at himself, "just kiss me please."

Minhyuk complied, his healthy hand caressing from his neck to his chest and back, a bit roughly at every other kiss until both started to gasp again. Kihyun then reached to take the bottle he had left aside to open it, his back curving as he tried not to break the kiss just yet. 

He then poured lube into his hand and, while supporting himself with the other, he reached back to finger himself, which hurt a bit since he hadn't done it in ages. Every time he hissed Minhyuk would kiss or lick at his neck and jaw to try and ease some of the discomfort. 

The older felt like dying when after a moment Kihyun started to breath heavily, his eyes closed and mouth a bit open while enjoying himself. It was both amazing and hard to look at, no put intended, for his neglected member started to pain him.

"Kihyun?"

The brown haired seemed to snap out of it, not apologizing but reaching to take more lube that he gently put on Minhyuk's crotch. He was not gonna lie to himself, the only other guy he had been with, his ex-boyfriend, was not comparable to Minhyuk, and that scared him a bit.

Kihyun slowly pushed down to get Minhyuk inside of him and he couldn't help but frown and cry a bit, face pressed against Minhyuk's shoulder not to worry him. "Gosh, Ki-" Minhyuk's strangled voice made him laugh a bit, which send shivers through both of their bodies, "I could stay like this all night-"

"Good night then," Kihyun interrupted him, jokingly getting comfortable to sleep.

At this Minhyuk playfully moved upwards, his vision blurring at the feeling of Kihyun's walls tightening around him even more if possible, "please tell me when you feel ready," he gasped, trying to restrict himself was too much.

"Ah- ok ok I think..." Kihyun placed his palms over Minhyuk's chest for support, his legs straddling his torso until there was no discomfort. Gasping against Minhyuk's mouth he started to move back and forth, while Minhyuk tried to move a bit upwards.

They kept the pace rather slow, Minhyuk on fear of hurting the other and Kihyun in fear it would end too soon if he got too carried away. Minhyuk lightly touched his face and then pressed his hand on the skin of his back, yet again startled by the beauty of the guy above him. He knew he had already fallen in love with the way Kihyun sensual and elegantly moved on his lap, with the pained-looking frown on his face and the little whines that came every now and then between the breathy gasps. 

Kihyun himself was too overwhelmed, it felt so good to have Minhyuk inside thrusting against him, abs marking on his torso at the flexion, fair skin slightly wet with the sweat, and soft lips caressing his face in a way so sweet it was impossible that was the same guy pressing up against his prostate.

When the lower part of his stomach started to contract he decided to trow away his own sanity, leaning back his upper body to move faster, hands now over Minhyuk's thighs. With he older's hand reaching to touch him he couldn't take it anymore. He threw his head back as he came, dragging Minhyuk along.

A few seconds later Kihyun went to rest over Minhyuk's chest for a second but cried at the over stimulation of the movement. The older then used his left arm to pull him towards the empty mattress while his heart still pounded hard against his ribs.

Kihyun, belly against the blankets, turned his head to look at the other, both laughing slightly when they made eye contact, "you look pretty all blushed."

Minhyuk smiled lovingly, too tired to get up, "this is new, me sleeping in your room."

"Who said you get to sleep here?"

"Are you going to carry me downstairs?"

"No," Kihyun pouted, getting immediately used to the idea and getting ready to sleep, fingers wrapped around Minhyuk's wrist.

"I also hate being alone."


	7. not alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How are you guys liking this story?

"And is closer to the lake, and to the school," Kihyun was chatting with Hyungwon on the kitchen about a house he saw was in sale. He and Minhyuk hadn't really talked about moving, let alone moving together, but that house had really caught his attention.

"It would be a good way to start over, again."

"Yes. I don't want to do something extreme and move out of town, I have you guys here and many people from here and the city have already scheduled sessions with me. I love living here, but everytime I go downstairs, I can't help but think of Sunny."

"Hm.." the taller nodded, "what about upstairs?"

"Uh?" Kihyun suddenly felt himself blushing, unsure as to why he was reacting that way.

Hyungwon leaned closer as if to avoid Minhyuk and Wonho, who where in the living room, from hearing anything. "Did something happen? I know something happened, you are too obvious but I'm not a hundred percent sure.. what."

"I don't know what you are talking about," Kihyun got up to take out from the fridge a pie the couple brought earlier.

"Come on, you no longer scuff at every word Minhyuk-ssi says. Something happened and as your friend I deserve to know."

Kihyun didn't say anything, not even rolled his eyes because something did happen. More than once. "Guys! Do you want some pie?" he called and cut two big slices when the older boys said yes, "listen, I- yes, okay, something happened. But it's private."

"What? No it ain't, I told you about me and Wonho as soon as something happened."

"Only because I am the other gay guy in our group."

"But we did become closer after that!" Hyungwon pouted, eating Kihyun's piece of pie when he took the plates to the other guys.

"Ya!"

"What? I brought it! ..should have bought two."

Once Kihyun sat back on the stool, after taking a new piece of pie, he looked at Hyungwon in defeat, "I can't really tell what happened. I snapped at him one evening, like, pretty bad..."

"I can imagine."

"And then, I went to his room to apologize and, we talked about Sunny, and he told me how Sunny had asked for me and wouldn't stop talking about me. Then he said- well it's a bit private, and I myself didn't know it, but he told me Sunny's.. asexual."

"Really?!" Kihyun shushed him. "Sorry. I mean, it would make a lot of sense. We never saw him with someone and although he kinda looked as in love with you he never tried something.. and, I don't know."

"I know, Minhyuk said maybe he wanted me to find someone who would.. give me what he couldn't."

"And... you found that someone?" he said suggestively, earning a hard punch in the arm.

"Cry baby." Kihyun huffed, then lowering his voice, "but.. yes."

Hyungwon's jaw almost breaks at how fast and wide he opened his mouth, "wait, so _you did do something_!"

"Yes, _we did do something_ , I- it wasn't really something something that night but we became closer, and he is really sweet and funny, and I can't believe his mere presence used to annoy me."

"That night? You mean there was something something in another night?"

"Hyungwon," he scolded in a hiss. "Yes, there's been more. And you know what? Yes, it was great, I don't regret it at all and I am sure he also enjoys it. But, I don't know what to do now..."

Hyungwon nodded, trying to find what advice to give. "By the way you talked about him, I can clearly see something is happening, I mean, beyond the physical stuff.. you are not going to kick him out as planned at the beginning, right?"

"Of course not."

"And, you are growing closer, maybe, you should try and see how things work once his cast is off, I mean, he came to the town with Sunny because he wanted a new life in here, and now that he will work in the school is clear that his plan still stands." Hyungwon paused, looking at Minhyuk who was laughing at something Wonho showed him on his phone. "I think you guys should give each other a chance, who knows, it may be destiny. Take him on a date, start that something, and if it works then you have the answer there."

"You know, sometimes I forget you are younger than me, or young at all." 

They laughed and Kihyun thanked him, now planning what he should do for a first date.

  
On the living room, only a few meters away from them, Minhyuk was asking Wonho about his relationship with the skinny boy. The blond excitedly told him about how after high school he manned up to invite Hyungwon in a date, and how he had been rejected a few times but didn't give up. Hyungwon had finally accepted a date with him and ever since they were practically together.

"Wait, why do you ask, anyways."

"I.. I want to date Kihyun, like, in a date and.. like in being a couple."

"Whoa. Really?"

Minhyuk shrugged. "I don't know if it is to soon, we have know each other only for a couple of months, but we have been together great part of the day for the last weeks.. and I feel really attracted to him. Like, not only physically but I like him, like like him, you know?."

Wonho made a sound similar to a teenage girl hearing her crush liked her, and Minhyuk had to cover his mouth so he wouldn't call Kihyun and Hyungwon's attention. "Sorry, it's just, I never knew someone that liked liked Kihyun in that way, I mean, he had a boyfriend but neither of us liked him and it didn't last too long."

"Uh?"

"I mean, he is too stubborn and unapproachable sometimes, so, guys didn't try anything with him when we were younger. I always had a crush on Hyungwon and, he was never into girls so there wasn't many people he could date."

Wonho thought for a moment, choosing carefully his next words. 

"We all knew Sunny was his first love, like a secret pure love. But then after high school he met this guy, Jinhyuk, and he developed a puppy love kind of crush, because Jinhyuk was so different to Sunny and caught his attention somehow. Kihyun admired him so much, a rough guy with a motorcycle and a tattoo by the neck. We tried to hang out with him for the sake of Kihyun but he wasn't interested in us, he started to isolate Kihyun from us and we thought for a moment that it was okay because their relationship was on that honeymoon phase. But both their personalities were strong and Jinhyuk didn't like that, he wanted a submissive Kihyun, and we all know Kihyun would be anything but that."

Minhyuk nodded, trying to understand what Kihyun had been through before.

He now knew Kihyun was extremely soft and docile in bed, both in sex and before sleeping and after waking up. But it was part of his personality, part of why he had liked him, being authoritative and of strong presence when awake; it was not something you could complaint about, despite the fights that could be caused because of it, it was not something you should ask someone to change about themselves.

"Kihyun would change, even when Jinhyuk called him on the phone we could see this other person, as if he were pretending to be sweet and submissive for him. One day we were having a barbecue by the lake and he arrived, although he had said he wouldn't make it because he was to spend that day with his boyfriend, he just took a beer and said he ended up things with the jerk. Literally that's what he said and we all knew he had grown tired of pretending, so that was the end of his 'romantic' relationship."

"So Kihyun finished the relationship."

"Yep." Minhyuk was smiling proudly and fondly, and Wonho immediately noticed. "But you are sincere, I notice. I like you and I know the others trust you too, so you have our blessing on the relationship, and I'll help you with it."

"Why thank you," the taller smiled, "so, what should I do? Do you think it is too soon?"

"Depends, I mean, I notice he is nice to you know, and a bit jealous on you."

"Really?"

"Really. But, have you talked about feelings, about the future, about something?"

"Well, we have kissed," he paused when Wonho's eyes almost fall out, "and, cuddled-"

"What?! He only let's Changkyun cuddle with him," he pouted, shaking his head in disbelief. "He must really like you a lot."

Minhyuk smirked, trying not to laugh. "And we slept together a few times." He immediately regretted not having said it slower, because Wonho started to choke on air.

"Babe!" Hyungwon and Kihyun were besides them in a second, the taller checking on his boyfriend. "What did you do to him, Minhyuk-ssi?"

"Why do you think Minhyuk did something?" Kihyun said back. "Maybe he ate his pie too fast," he tsked shaking his head and going back to the kitchen for a glass of water.

"I'm fine, I'll be fine, babe." Wonho's face was red and Minhyuk wasn't sure if it was because of his close to death experience or because of his confession.

"Anyway, we should leave now, don't forget to send me the date you want the photo shoot," Hyungwon hugged them goodbye after Wonho stopped coughing, taking his keys out and waiting for his boyfriend to say goodbye too. "By the way, I do think you should either move to other house or build a garage, because I hate my car being under the rain every time I am here."

"Yes, mom." Kihyun walked them to the front door, waving as they got the car out of the driveway. 

As he closed the door he noticed the older was still on the sofa, so he walked over to laid over it, his head on Minhyuk's lap. The black haired immediately started to caress his hair with a small smile. "You seem tired."

"I love them but Hyungwon can be tiring most of the times."

Minhyuk heard his phone vibrate besides him, Wonho had sent him a message, so he tried to open it really fast in order to avoid Kihyun from noticing, blocking it as soon as he read it to continue petting his hair.

The message said ' _Just ask him out_ '.

"Would you-"

"We could-"

"Uh, sorry," they laughed as they spoke at the same time, Kihyun's hands nervously playing with the hem of his shirt, "we could order pizza or hot pot tonight."

"I like pizza, I can eat it with one hand," he smiled, his sudden confidence shying away.

"What were you going to say?"

"Um," he bit his tongue, trying to form a sentence, "..would you like to go out? Like, in a date?"

Kihyun tensed in his lap for a second, relaxing right away although it was more like to dissimulate. "It would be nice." Minhyuk looked unsure of his plain answer so he sat up, arm and leg almost touching Minhyuk's. "Truth is, I was actually going to ask you too."

At that Minhyuk was obviously more relaxed, even taking Kihyun's hand on his. "Well, we can go on two, mine first if that's okay with you."

When Kihyun nodded and got up to order pizza, he realized it had been a bold move. So he texted Wonho a ' _where should I take him too?!!!_ '


	8. so overdose

"But how do I need to get dressed?"

"Um, I guess.. normal? I mean, is not that fancy but is not extremely casual."

Kihyun stared at him, shaking his head after a moment. "Okay, I won't pretend I understand, so, let's pick outfits together. Is not like we are teenagers or strangers."

"Okay, that works." Minhyuk chuckled.

"Why didn't we park there?"

"Come on, is just around the corner," Minhyuk rolled his eyes, taking Kihyun's hand to walk a bit faster. They got into a thematic coffee shop that seemed new, because Kihyun didn't remember having seen, and he definitely would have seen it before if it wasn't new. The decoration was beautiful, it had amazing pictures and art on the walls, it wasn't exaggerated, and everything was perfectly placed.

"Wow." He let go of Minhyuk's hand almost immediately to grab a photo album from a book case full of them. Minhyuk walked towards a table, worried as he saw the place was almost full. Kihyun sat in front of him, letting the album over a side of the table while grabbing the menu. "This place is amazing, I can't believe we didn't come here before."

Minhyuk sighed in relief, he was worried it was too simple for a first date, but when Wonho told him about the place Minhyuk was sure Kihyun hadn't been in it, else he would have been talking about it all the time.

Since the coffee shop was pretty much crammed Minhyuk had to stand up to ask for their orders, leaving Kihyun alone for a few minutes, entertained with the photo album. "Want me to help you carry those?"

A girl as tall as him asked when she overheard his order. It was then that Minhyuk realized he had no option since he could not even hold the tray, answering a bit ashamed, "please."

"Are you going to eat all this alone?"

"No," Minhyuk grimaced as Kihyun took the tray from the girl with a weird bow, the girl looking at Kihyun with a bit of disgust. Minhyuk went to the counter to wait for the missing drink, and when he turned to thank the girl she was frowning at him.

"You are dating Kihyun?"

"What-" Minhyuk had to remember that the town although big was still a town. "Well, I'm-"

"You are new in town, right? Be careful, he rotted Taesun. A guy-" If she was going to interrupt him, and be nosy, Minhyuk didn't need to listen to her anymore.

"Please don't talk about them. I don't know you, and you don't know anything about them, and you certainly do not know me, so please restrain yourself from talking about them."

She scoffed, walking to other side of the place for she was still waiting her order. As soon as they called Minhyuk's name he went to grab the drink and sit back with Kihyun.

"Just ignore whatever she told you," Kihyun said as soon as he sat down, looking at a picture as if trying to memorize it before putting it aside. "Thank you." He grabbed the drink with a genuine smile so Minhyuk decided to forget what had happened for now; after all, this was their date and Kihyun didn't seem really affected by her presence.

They quickly forgot about it, chatting a lot and eating, asking for dessert and other drink so they could continue their unending conversation. "Oh, we should leave, it is almost time for my date." Their cups where long ago empty and the people around them wasn't the same as hours ago.

"Time really flew by, wow."

They left the place and walked to the car to go where Kihyun had planned their next date.

"I liked it a lot," the younger said sincerely, taking his right hand off the steering wheel to grab Minhyuk's, slightly pressing it. "Just so you know we will be going there quite often now."

"M'glad you liked it."

"Thank you for it."

"Where are we?"

"You ask too many questions."

"And you answer none. This looks like a thriller movie scene, where you take me to an empty field to later sell my organs or keep me as your slave."

"..How come I didn't think about it before?"

"Kihyun!"

"Don't worry, baby. It does have something to do with a movie but not those."

Minhyuk's pout changed for a huge smile as he saw the string lights, food stands and a huge screen a bit further into the field, with people already setting blankets on the floor. Kihyun parked and they got out of the car, taking the blanket out of the trunk.

"This place is beautiful!"

Kihyun took Minhyuk's hand in his, pulling him close to kiss his cheek. "Let's go."

They bought popcorn and looked for a spot to place their blanket, waiting for the movie to start.

They talked about anything while the movie started, deciding on not to eat popcorn just yet as they were still full. But a little girl walking by to sit with her family knocked over the container.

"Oh! I'm so sorry sir," she apologized to Kihyun, her big eyes threatened with getting teary, scared of what she had done.

"It's fine little one." Minhyuk intervened when he saw Kihyun didn't know how to react. "Is just popcorn," his voice was soft and not exaggeratedly high, "go with your parents, darling, the movie will start soon, right? Be careful on your steps, we don't want you to trip and miss the movie."

"Yes," she bowed with a smile, then bowed to Kihyun who was barely paying attention to her anymore, his eyes focused on the other man.

"What?" Kihyun shook his head but his eyes were still glued to Minhyuk. "Stop staring and clean up the popcorn before they call us out." The brown haired rolled his eyes but compiled, letting the package aside just as the movie was starting.

It was a foreign film both had watched already, but none dared to say they had. Many little things went wrong today and although the rest was more than those silly moments they both felt a bit nervous. It was their first date day, and both wanted this to work so badly. And both wanted to have an honest relationship.

"Ki-" 

"Yes?"

"Look." Minhyuk was pointing his finger at the darkness on the empty side of the field right next to them, and Kihyun didn't understand what it was he wanted him to see. He wrapped an arm around the older's waist, thinking of the type of movies Minhyuk had mentioned earlier and fearing now what he must have seen there, when a small light appeared.

"Oh- is, what was it?"

"Fireflies."

Kihyun was quick to follow him to the dark open field, nearly bumping into him when he stopped, the movie and the people too far to interrupt them. They looked around amazed as the fireflies appeared for a second every now and then, surrounding them playfully, as if they knew they were being watched.

When the moon slightly appeared from behind the clouds they could finally see each other, smiling when their eyes connected. Kihyun felt so safe and in need of protecting at the same time that it was new, and yet so familiar. Had Taesun really sent him an angel?

Minhyuk didn't want to interrupt the other's thoughts, so he only kept playing with an insisting firefly, but immediately letting it go once Kihyun got closer.

"This is magical," the older whispered, "it's a shame you didn't bring your camera."

"It's okay, I'll keep it in my head."

Minhyuk got closer, acting nonchalantly as if they weren't less than an inch apart. "I could draw it too, if you are into abstract shapeless art."

"Hmm."

Minhyuk finally stepped closer, pressing their lips together, as softly and perfect as the other times, but this time it was a bit different. They felt as if they were making a promise, with fireflies and a movie playing far in the background.

"Did you just kissed me in our first date?" Kihyun joked, wrapping his arms around the taller's waist and resting his temple on his shoulder.

"I couldn't help it, I'm just too attracted to you."

"Geeesh, cheesy."

"Ki... Will you be by boyfriend?"

Kihyun was quick to nod, continuously. "Do you really mean it?" 

Minhyuk leaned in to kiss him again. "Of course I mean it."

"Then yes, a hundred times." If anyone happened to be close they would notice right away the excitement in his face, anxious for what was to come, already knowing he wouldn't have to pretend anything for Minhyuk.

They just hugged for some minutes, not really wanting to let go, not wanting to end the moment.

"We have to go..."

"The blanket!" Minhyuk laughed as Kihyun ran to look for their blanket, making then their way home.

"So you sleep on the same bedroom?"

"Well... yes, we watch a movie or chat until we fall asleep so, is not like I'm going to tell him to go to his bedroom."

"Hmm," Hyungwon nodded, sipping a bit from his drink before raising a brow, "what are you? a 60 year old couple?"

"Hyungwon!"

"What? Don't take it as something completely bad, you two are like past life soulmates, but maybe you guys need to do something about it too."

"You think the new house is not a good idea? I mean, I don't see the point on getting different places when we already know we will be at each other's place all the time."

"You really like him, uh? Ah, this is all so cute and weird."

"Why weird?"

"Because I hadn't seen you this happy in so long, it makes me feel this relief that at the same time makes me feel useless, sorry for not being there enough for you as a friend, all of us should have been a bit more insistent with you."

"I shouldn't have closed like that either, I know it's my personality but you guys are my friends, and that's more than enough Won." He reached to hug him for a second. "But.. yes, I think I needed someone annoying and nosy and shameless the way Minhyuk is."

"You better not replace me, though."

"Don't worry Won, no one is as annoying as you are," he laughed. "I have to go now, we will go see the agent and hopefully get the one close to the lake and school."

"You will get it, you guys deserve it."

"Let's go! Minhyuk! We will be late!" Minhyuk pouted, opening the door as he tried not to drop his toothbrush. "What were you doing?"

"Sorry, I don't know why I'm dropping everything, I guess I'm nervous."

"Oh baby, don't be." Kihyun hugged him from behind, resting his chin over his shoulder to look at them in the mirror. "Cheer up, you'll finally be able to use your right hand, just in time to practice before the classes start."

"It'll be the first time you see my arm, now you will know if I have someone else's name tattooed on it."

"Do you?"

"No, but I would love to see your reaction if I had one." Minhyuk laughed and hurried up to get ready so they could go to the hospital.

"Nevertheless, refrain from doing extreme activities for another couple of weeks, as well as heavy workout, but you can totally use it now, do the exercises we taught you and everything should be fine."

"What about his skin? What can we do for the dryness and-" Minhyuk rolled his eyes as Kihyun kept asking questions related to his health. Honestly, he blacked out all the answers, too focused on his arm and the weird sensation when moving it.

"Min," Kihyun called his attention, and he immediately knew something was off.

"What I am a bit worried about is your vision, I have you clinical history here and the x-rays we took after the accident. I'm worried your optical nerves can swell up again, I don't want to hope for the worst but I want you to let me know if anything changes, as soon as you feel something is wrong with your eyes, you need to come."

"We will." Kihyun answered instead after a moment of silence.

They said goodbye and went to the car in silence, none said anything until Kihyun parked in front of a restaurant. "It will be fine," he nodded, grabbing Minhyuk's hands in his, finally able to hold both without worrying about hurting him, "I'm sure it won't come back, and even if it did I would be there for you."

"I don't want to close my eyes again, I- I like to see you, and I like your pictures and I want to help them paint." 

"Oh, honey." Kihyun reached to hug him. "Let's hope for the best and do our best if it end ups happening. Don't worry about it now, okay? Come on, you need to start using chopsticks again."

After a peck on the lips they walked into the restaurant to have lunch. It took them a while—both for the time it had passed since he used his hand to eat and from their laughter— to start eating their meal. Soon they were full and didn't want to move, so they just leaned back on the comfortable booth seating.

"I think even Hyunwoo would be full with all we ate," Kihyun breathed out, sliding a bit down to put his feet over Minhyuk's lap.

"I can tell, your legs are suddenly too heavy," Minhyuk joked, his laugh dying when Kihyun moved to slightly hit his crotch.

"Don't tease me, hun- ya!" he scolded as Minhyuk grabbed his ankle as to pull from it, which would most likely make him fall under the table. "Wait wait, someone is calling me!"

Minhyuk didn't let go but at least didn't pull his boyfriend, patiently waiting as he answered the call. He intended to pay attention to what Kihyun answered to whomever it was, but he couldn't as Kihyun was subtly moving his feet against his jeans, smirking when he noticed Minhyuk's reaction.

"Wait, sorry, could you repeat that?"

Kihyun suddenly sat straight, his eyes wide and a creepy smile on his face. "What?!" Minhyuk screamed in a whisper, standing up to sit next to him and try to hear too.

"Thank you so much, yes, we will be there in an hour, thank you so much."

"What? Who was it?" after he hang up Minhyuk had to contain himself from asking as many questions as the number of scenarios his mind was making up for who it could have been.

"Guess what."

"No, please, you know I'll make a thousand stupid guesses before getting the right one."

"True," Kihyun frowned, deciding to tell him. "We got it. The house, she got us the house for the price we offered!"

"Oh- really? You are not joking right?"

"No!" 

Kihyun pouted but couldn't help smiling again, it was perfect, that area was one of the best, and the price they got it for was also very favorable. Minhyuk then wrapped him in a hug, and his heart stopped for a second as he took in something: it was the first time Minhyuk wrapped him into his embrace. 

He just knew then that he wanted no one to do it but him. He knew then, that everything was going to be alright. He just knew they were meant to be like that.


	9. take me home

"Minhyuk?" Kihyun got up from the bed leaving his phone over the blankets. He passed by the dinning room and living room only to find Minhyuk sitting in the aisle and he went directly to hug him.

"What-" The older laughed but still placed his hands in the back of his boyfriend's thighs to carry him on his hips. "You missed me that much?"

"A lot, I was about to die out of boredom!"

"Why didn't you call Hyungwon to come?" He walked to the living room and sat on the couch with Kihyun on his lap.

"I did, but he and Wonho are on date day," he mocked a voice and rolled his eyes. "How were the meetings, anyway?"

"It was good, some parents thanked me, their kids talk great things about me to them."

"But?"

Three months had already passed, and Kihyun prided himself on recognizing his boyfriend's mood or gesture's hidden meanings. He himself had been to the school to see how the classes where and how the kids behaved, but there was this other teacher that couldn't seem to accept Minhyuk. The witch, as Kihyun called her.

"She talked to some of the parents about me, and they don't see happy with having _me_ teaching their kids."

"That's bullshit. I know it's all in her mind and the parents should know it too. I'm sure their kids are happy with you as their teacher, and if that was my kid learning faster than in other subjects, I would be happy as well."

Minhyuk smiled slightly, always comforted by his words. "Are you just saying that because we are dating?" Kihyun shook his head and made a denial cute sound with his throat. They just stayed there for a while, Kihyun resting his body against the taller's, until the phone rang.

"Ugh," Kihyun got up to answer it while Minhyuk turned the lights of the kitchen on, it was almost dinner time and he had actually skipped lunch.

"Who was it?"

"Wrong number, what are you doing?"

"I'm deciding between making a pizza or some cereal, which one do you prefer?"

"Is that even a question? Just make sure not to put pineapple on my half, and go change your clothes, I'll gather the ingredients for you."

Kihyun smiled when he kissed him on the temple before going to change clothes. As soon as they had moved into the new house everything changed, even the way they perceived their relationship. Kihyun was happy remembering all the memories he made in the other house with Taesun, and he would remember them all of his life; but it had been a friends—secret crush— relationship, and Taesun was not there anymore.

Both had already accepted his death and no longer felt as crying when talking about him. But this was a completely new stage, and although they hadn't known each other for an long period of time before it, they were sure there was something special about it.

Kihyun loved the domestic feeling—not something he would ever admit to any of his friends—, he liked to have a house that felt like a partner's place, to cook with and for someone, even cleaning wasn't tedious with Minhyuk's help. He even liked waking up alongside Minhyuk to have breakfast before the older had to go to the school, now he even liked going grocery shopping. It was the sensation he had been waiting for as he looked at his parents while growing up, and although that sounded scary sometimes, he was sure that he could share even the most weird insecurities with his boyfriend and they would solve it, together.

"What are you smiling for?" Minhyuk hugged him from behind for a brief second before starting with their pizza.

"Nothing really," he smiled while grabbing a popcorn package to microwave. "We should swim while it's ready, this warm weather is not going to last more than a couple of days."

"You sent me to put my pijamas on and now you want me to go for the swimsuit?"

"When did I mention swimsuits?" Kihyun ignored the look on his boyfriends face as he grabbed a bowl for the snack, taking as well a couple of beers from the fridge.

"Hmm, tempting."

Once the pizza was on the oven they got outside, deciding it was better to just relax while the food was ready, so they sat on the loungers while eating popcorn and drinking. They talked about their days and the next session Kihyun had scheduled, he hadn't had a lot of work recently but he already knew that as soon as graduations or dances from schools started he would be booked up.

"Should we get a dog?"

"A dog?" Kihyun chuckled, "why do you suddenly want to get a pet?"

"I don't know, random thought."

Kihyun stood up, walking around the pool into the open space in their garden, it was quiet and the sky was clear, stars visible as there was not much artificial illumination as in the city. "What's your favorite part of the day?" he asked as he felt arms surrounding him.

"Hmm, when I wake up. Because I open my eyes to find out I have another day with vision. Also, now I wake up to see you, so that just makes it a hundred times better."

Kihyun laughed, pressing the other's arms towards his chest, "cheesy."

"What about you?"

After a sigh and a moment thinking Kihyun finally answered, "I like now. When we are both home and our only concern is dinner, when we can just relax and be with each other. He laughed and turned himself within his boyfriend's embrace, "I know it's silly but I really feel like it gives me strength for the coming day, and I feel like we get to know each other better and I learn to trust you more every time."

Minhyuk smiled, placing his hand on the smaller's face to caress his cheek, "you really are precious, my love."

"So are you," he kissed his pout but had to stop when the alarm for the oven sounded, "ugh."

They went inside to eat, chatting while deciding on what pictures should Kihyun add to his new portafolio. "I'm sure everyone will like these ones, even as an ex-blind person I can tell they are exceptional, trust me."

"I don't know if that argument really comforts me, Min."

The black haired rolled his eyes as he dried his hands after washing the dishes. They were both a bit tired so they decided to go to bed after taking a shower. As Minhyuk came out of the bathroom still drying his hair with a towel and smiled as he saw Kihyun going trough a photo album.

When they moved to the house Kihyun wouldn't stop taking pictures of Minhyuk around giving him a 'tour' and that night they talked about how people nowadays had their pictures online and all about sharing them in social media. The next morning Kihyun went to print any picture they had from the moment they met (including the ones on the lake and just random moments) and placed them in an album.

"I think we will need a new one after Christmas... don't- ah, Minhyuk dry your hair before!" Kihyun complained as his boyfriend started to smooch his face with little kisses; he laughed giving up and leaving the photos on the other side of the bed to kneel over the mattress in front of the taller, "silly."

"Don't be a crybaby and let me kiss you," Minhyuk pouted, placing his hands on the other's neck to hold his face. Kihyun held from his wrists and closed his eyes in a smile as the older kissed his lips. "I love you."

"I love you too... now go dry your hair, with the dryer please?"

Minhyuk huffed but complied. Once he finished he turned off the bathroom lights and took the album from Kihyun to put it away.

"Come here," Kihyun made grabby hands and kissed Minhyuk's temple when he wrapped himself around his chest, "my baby."

At some point right before dawn Minhyuk woke up with a headache and feverish, his vision a bit blurred as he went for a glass of water. He walked to the room with it and sat at the bed, his body week and trembling a bit, he was too cold so he left the glass aside and quickly got under the covers to cuddle against Kihyun.

"Min? You are too hot. Wait," Kihyun sat a bit alarmed at the touch of the hot skin, turning the night lights on. "Honey, you have fever." 

Kihyun stood up to go to the bathroom, looking for the pills and stuff to lower the other's temperature, "I think is the flu... one of the kids was sick a few days ago but he seemed much better yesterday. Shouldn't have hugged him but they are just too sweet and I hate to reject them."

"You know? Most people feels down when they are sick but you seem to get even more chatty." Kihyun gave him some pills and then helped him take off his pajamas.

"I don't want to get in the water, its too cold and I'm too tired. Can't I just use one cooling patch?"

With a sigh Kihyun cleaned the other's forehead from the sweat and placed a patch, taking himself medicine for they had kissed just hours before. "We have to be careful, you know what the doctor said, we can't risk your eyes with infections."

"I know, sorry."

"Nop, no hugs" Kihyun turned the lights off and laid on his side of the bed over the covers so Minhyuk wouldn't try to cover himself.

"I'm going to freeze."

"No, you are going to cool down, can't risk your optical nerves in anyway baby."

"Can you at least hold my hand?"

Kihyun smiled at his voice and request, turning to his side so he could ran his hand over his boyfriend's arm to then intertwine their fingers.

"I am scared, I don't want to loose my vision again. I promise I'll be careful from now on."

"It will be okay," Kihyun tried to comfort him. He also didn't want Minhyuk's eyes to damage again as the doctor had warned them about again last month when Minhyuk got sick. But he was sure of something: if that were to happen, it wouldn't change his mind about the older. "We will be okay."

"It scares me tho, what would we do? Blind people can't grate cheese, how would I prepare the pizzas? No offense, you are the best cook, but my pizzas are just, better."

Kihyun pushed his shoulder and bit his tongue not to say something back, letting the insult go just because he was sick, "you should go back to sleep now, we need to be strong so this ends faster."

"I can't, I'm too cold, and my hole body aches."

"Shh, I know," he got a bit closer but not to much to prevent warming Minhyuk's body even more. He started humming, and then singing a quiet lullaby. He felt more pressure on the hand grip, knowing it was a sort of thank you from Minhyuk.

Hearing the sweet voice of the younger was one of Minhyuk's favorite things, specially when he was singing specially for him, it was intimate and it strengthened their bond. When one was feeling down or unwell they just singed for each other while hugging or even just holding hands, and it was extremely comforting, it kept them calmed and more united.

As his thoughts started to drift away and didn't care about the cold anymore, he felt Kihyun pull his hand to kiss it for a second before holding it close to his chest. He fell asleep feeling the soft heartbeats.

"Min? Honey... wake up." 

The younger laughed lightly when he opened his eyes, his particular uneven blinking more prominent than usual, "hi."

"Hi," he pressed a kiss to kiss to his own thumb to later press it on Minhyuk's pouty lips, "sit down so you can take your medicine and eat soup. It will make you feel better."

He helped his boyfriend sit down on the bed and sat himself on the armchair they had on the room to take breakfast as well. They ate mostly in silence, only the autumn air moving leaves outside could be heard apart from the spoons clashing against their bowls.

"I called Jooheon about the song, he agrees with me that we should rest at least for today. It's good that you don't have classes today and weekend will start tomorrow." 

Kihyun took the dishes to leave them at the kitchen before coming back into the room and jumping to Minhyuk's side. The older laughed wrapping an arm around the other's waist; he loved cuddling and Kihyun was always cuddly in the mornings.

"How do you feel?"

"A lot better, thanks to you."

"Still we have to be careful," Kihyun separated from the hug to look at Minhyuk's face with worry, "I have grown extremely fond of you, and I think I love you so much that it hurts me to even imagine you unwell." 

Minhyuk covered his own eyes with a hand and shook his head for a moment. Kihyun took that hand away to find the other's watery eyes avoiding his.

"Sorry," he whispered, cleaning the tears that were threatening to escape, "I am too emotional right now."

"It's fine, babe, shh," Kihyun hugged him, hiding his head on the taller's chest for a second as he was feeling emotional too, "it may be the medicine."

Minhyuk nodded, then touched his own belly, "or the pregnancy."

Kihyun stared at him for a second before laughing out loud, "babe, I'm pretty sure many things would need to be different for that to happen, starting from my position in the 'issue'."

"Are you sure you don't want a puppy?"

"It sounds like you adopted one and are just trying to soften me up so I don't scold you about it."

"I love you too, a lot. You are my purpose, really."

"Minhyuk... is there anything you have to tell me?"

The taller shook his head, then giggled, "I'm just joking. Although it would be nice to look after something together, the next step of our relationship."

"We already look after each other and this house," Kihyun sat up and reached for his water bottle to drink a bit before laying down sideways. There was no need to say anything nor to get closer himself, he knew Minhyuk would immediately leech to his back.

He would never complain about it tho.

"Thank you for taking care of me, Ki. You really are my only support, and the person I love the most. I also get upset at even the though of you being hurt, being sad."

Kihyun pressed himself against the black haired as much as he could, happy that they could spend the day lazing around, despite their health not being at the best.

"Remember what I said about you as the sun? I won't feel sad if I'm with you... it will not affect me at least."

He could feel the arms around him tightening at that, "I really like you, babe. I don't want you to ever think I am with you out of interest, or that it's a crush that will end. I really really like you."

"And I really like you, and I like being with you," he turned on his embrace to face him again. "And I don't want you to think I'm with you because I hate being alone. I can be alone, but even before we were something and even if we didn't live together, you would still manage to make me feel... no lonely."

They just stared at each other for some minutes after their exchange of words, Minhyuk caressing his back over the shirt and Kihyun's fingers running over the taller's naked collar bones.

"Let's stay together. I promise you that I will brighten your days and I will be honest, I will be careful with my health, I will stop talking when you need me to listen, I will help you to choose the perfect photography although they look the same to me, and I won't bring a dog without asking you first."

Kihyun smiled widely and pretended to consider the offer, "well, that's seems like bargain I can't let go. Let's make the deal then, in exchange I will sing for you whenever you want, I will help you mixing shades for your paintings, I will talk about the things that bother me even if I know I can be irritating because I know you are patient and know how to cool me down, and you are patient and help me to be patient myself... and I will make sure there's always pineapple in the house for your pizzas"

"Hmmm, tempting. I was convinced but you completely got me with the pineapple." 

Kihyun rolled his eyes before turning around again so Minhyuk could press his back against his chest, "It's a promise then."

"It's a promise."


	10. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Do people still write these?

"I was thinking the other day about the coffee shop we went to-"

"Gosh, you do change topics very fast. Mind to get out first?" Kihyun moaned a bit when Minhyuk moved to rest besides him, taking a moment to breath and just enjoy. "Okay, you can talk now.

"Sorry," Minhyuk chuckled, placing gentle kisses on his cheek and neck. "Remember our first date? Well, I had forgotten about it but... you knew her, right? She kid of flirted with me and got angry when she saw me with you-"

"Yes."

"...mind to tell me who she was?"

Kihyun sat down, pulling the sheets to cover himself up. "One of the many girls that wanted to date Sunny, she and others thought I was the one who 'turned' my ex into a gay guy."

"Well, I mean, you could turn straight guys into gay guys with that beauty of yours," he laughed when his boyfriend hit his chest.

"Anyway, if you see her again please just ignore her, or kiss me so she gets angry, whatever you feel like doing, I don't care anymore."

The taller sat down as well, resting his chin on his shoulder, "okay, love."

"Okay," the photographer gasped and turned to give him a quick kiss before standing up, "let's shower now, we have a lot to do."

"But it's weekend," Minhyuk whined.

"So? You have a kid now and you need to walk her, I let you bring her under that condition."

"Yeah but you barely let me have her, you want to hold her and pet her the whole time." 

A few months ago they had adopted a doberman from the shelter. At first Kihyun was angry that he chose a big dog and gave Minhyuk a ton of conditions about her having to sleep in the backyard, never get into the house, walk her in the mornings before going to work and feeding her himself.

But after a few days Kihyun was completely wiped for her, he let her get into the house the whole time, she usually slept at their feet on the bed, and when they watched TV or where resting in the living room, Kihyun would most likely be hugging her.

"Are you jealous?" Minhyuk huffed in annoyance at that, and although he wanted to laugh again he just reached to hug him, "I love you."

"And I love you."

"Hola hola!" Changkyun greeted as they came out to the garden.

"Hi guys!" Wonho smiled widely and went to hug them.

"Don't mind him, he's been using too much Spanish in his raps," Jooheon hugged them too before walking to Changkyun who was sulking about that statement.

They were having a small party to celebrate that Wonho and Hyungwon were now engaged. The seven boys and Hyunwoo's girlfriend planned to gather in Wonho's house -where Hyungwon was soon to live in too- to have a barbecue and spend the evening together.

After eating the rapers and Hyunwoo decided to make a fire since the backyard had a fireplace, so the rest brought cushions and blankets while Kihyun and Hyungwon went for snacks and marshmallows to the store.

It had been a year Minhyuk arrived to the town and he was very happy, happy because he had Kihyun, and happy because these guys treated him since the beginning as a friend. He was really comfortable and despite the struggles and horrible situation they went trough, he knew he had made the right decision when coming to the place.

"What are you thinking?" the older had been staring at the fire when he felt a pair of arms wrapping around his shoulders.

Both were smiling widely at each other and it was obvious for everyone that their love for each other was genuine. When Kihyun sat besides the taller to be wrapped around the cozy blanket they didn't notice all eyes were on them.

"I have a question," Jooheon spoke up, stabbing a lot of marshmallows on a stick, "when are you guys going to get married."

"Us?" Kihyun felt his face reddening, so he let Minhyuk answer that, "well, let's not talk about us when we are celebrating your engagement-"

"Come on," Hyungwon interrupted "I insist. Although, I wonder sometimes if you already married without telling us."

"Right?! Me too!" Hyunwoo backed that up in awe at not being the only who thought like that.

"That's ridiculous," Kihyun snapped but Minhyuk knew that in reality he was feeling shy and nervous, so he just handed him a stick and marshmallows while caressing his back.

"You live together, you have a dog, and you already have a family album!"

"Yeah well you won't be on it if you keep nagging them," Changkyun laughed at Hyungwon, trying to lighten the mood as he knew the taller could be too much sometimes.

"Besides," Kihyun started and everyone paid attention immediately, Minhyuk the most, expecting of what he was to say, "we are already engaged, not in the ring and wedding to plan way, but we are."

Minhyuk himself was surprised, so he hugged his boyfriend tighter. Kihyun only munched on a marshmallow, trying to ignore the different faces looking at him but laughed when Wonho suggested they could have a double wedding.

"As the older one, I feel like I am responsible of this..." Kihyun glanced up from the ground where he was arranging the shoes in a line by the door.

"Of what, honey?"

They had just arrived home from walking Kimmi and Minhyuk went to take her to the backyard. The taller helped him on his feet and it was then that Kihyun realized he had something on his hands, "I was going to wait for our anniversary but I thought- you may want to have it now."

He handed Kihyun a big velvet case, "you are so impatient," he laughed since their anniversary was just next week and he felt the older could have waited to give him his gift.

The photographer had seen cases like that before and knew it was a necklace, although this one was a bit too big. When he opened he first noticed it had two necklaces on it, so he supposed they were couple matching accessories.

"Oh, babe!" he awed and was about to kiss the taller when he paid close attention to the 'pendants'.

There was a moment of silence and Kihyun's face went through all kind of expressions in that short time. "Um, I know we are already engaged, as you said, and as we promised that night... but I thought it would be nice to make it, um, official."

Kihyun shook his head, placing the case open on a nearby shelf, before hugging Minhyuk. "Thank you, honey. It is so pretty, and yes, I say yes although you didn't exactly ask."

After hugging for some minutes in which Minhyuk would rock them calmly side to side, Kihyun pulled back to grab the ring from the necklace Minhyuk said was his. "Perfect."

"Gosh, I'm so glad it fits you well."

They were on the couch watching wedding shows, they had just taken a shower and Kimmi was comfortably sleeping in between them.

"How did you get the size, tho."

"You know, since I didn't have vision during some of the most important years in my life, my sense of touch developed so much that I can remember how small your hands are from holding them all the time. And I also took a sample by wrapping a twist tie from the bread bag one day we were watching Harry Potter and I was playing with your hands."

"You creep, was it when Sirius-? Ugh, I was too focused on it, you are witty, so clever."

"I know, I know."

Kihyun laughed, slapping the other's arm careful not to wake up their sleeping canine daughter.

"My arm! Be careful, you may break it again," he fake cried in a whisper.

"Wouldn't it be ironic? It is your arm what got us together... even if Sunny had died, if you hadn't been even hurt I wouldn't have taken care of you... I really couldn't stand you back then but since I saw you at the hospital I wanted, I really ached to help you. That made me angry at myself at first... and then I got to know you and you know the rest."

"And now we can take care of each other, I promise I will take good care of you however you need me to."

Kihyun nodded with a closed smile, his eyes bright at the thought of what was in their future.

"And since I love you so much, I'll be the one to tell you, you can not possibly be the photographer of our own wedding, so stop avoiding it and help me choose one of your competence."

"Uhggg. Why can't you just pick one yourself, I don't want to think about it, it upsets me."

"Sure? You know I still don't have much perception on photography, and you have to consider I teach abstract art to toddlers and kids."

"Okay, hand me that," he took the tablet from Minhyuk's hand ignoring his laugh.

"See? We complement each other so perfectly, you have what I lack."

Kihyun rolled his eyes but smooched his hand to 'stick' the kiss on Minhyuk's cheek.

"You are right. We do." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the story! I enjoyed writing it and interacting with you in the comments! ♡♡♡   
> You're also welcomed to read the other Monsta X One Shots and stories I've written, I will also be publishing some NCT, Exo, and SuperM One Shots soon.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Hope you're enjoying the story.. just so you know, I love when you guys comment.. hehe.


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